Uber and Airbus Partner Up

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Uber and Airbus would partner to form a joint venture providing on-the-spot helicopter transportation through the Uber system. This new partnership debuted during the recent Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah and brings together a slumping Airbus helicopter industry with the wildly successful Uber automobile transport system. Neither Airbus nor Uber would predict what the cost might be for immediate helicopter transportation, but one can imagine that the cost will be significant.

According to CNBC: “As part of a new Silicon Valley-based initiative, Airbus has established a partnership with Uber was part of an experiment that would allow Uber users to hail copters, as well as other forms of transportation. The recently-formed Airbus Ventures will operate with $150 million commitment to ‘identify and invest in the most visionary entrepreneurs in the global aerospace ecosystem,’ Airbus said in a release. The new link with Uber will allow Airbus to provide on-demand transportation service using its H125 and H130 helicopters. According to Airbus, the partnership will help carve out ‘a new business model for helicopter operators to access a broader customer base.’”