Blade and Emirates partner to enable seamless booking of flights between Dubai and Monaco

NEW YORK, May 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blade Air Mobility, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLDE, “Blade”), a global Urban Air Mobility company, announced a partnership with Emirates that enables passengers to travel between Dubai and Monaco on a single, cost-effective ticket seamlessly connecting from their Emirates flight at Nice International Airport to a Blade helicopter that will fly them into Monaco. Blade provides continuous helicopter flights between Nice and Monaco all year.

Upon landing at the Monte Carlo heliport, Blade’s ground transfer service will drive the passengers to their final destination. Emirates and Blade are globally renowned for their exceptional passenger experience and this partnership takes it to the next level.

The partnership is facilitated by GO7, a global leader in airline booking technologies.

A hallmark of Blade’s customer service and hospitality in New York City is its network of highly designed private lounges that evoke the Golden Age of Aviation, from the one-to-one personal service and amenities to the inspired art on the walls. In 2023, Blade opened their first European lounge at the Monaco heliport, and in early June, passengers at Nice International Airport can enjoy and unwind in one of their two new private lounges in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 before connecting to their Blade helicopter or commercial flight.

When Emirates passengers fly Blade back from Monaco to Nice Airport, they will have their luggage checked from Monaco to their final destination. Upon arrival at Nice Airport, they will be escorted to the helipad-side security clearance for security and customs and driven directly to their gate, bypassing in-terminal congestion and public security queues.

“We are delighted to offer Emirates passengers the ability to fly from Dubai into Monaco with a seamless connection from their Emirates flight directly to a Blade helicopter to Monaco,” says Remi Bouysset, Chief Executive Officer Blade Europe. “They will enjoy the best views of the French Riviera while skipping an hour and a half of traffic. With the time they save, they will have plenty of time to enjoy our Monaco Blade Lounge upon their arrival.”

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, says, “We’re pleased to enhance our partnership with Blade and GO7 to offer our customers a seamless 7-minute helicopter flight between Nice and Monaco. Emirates has been serving Nice with world-class services for more than 30 years and we look forward to raising the bar even higher with this seamless door-to-door travel experience. We remain committed to the French Riviera and look forward to continuing serving our customers better both in the air and on the ground.”

The partnership is live and ready for passengers to experience firsthand.

About Blade Europe

Blade Europe is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Blade Air Mobility. Through its operating partners Monacair and Héli Sécurité, it is the exclusive provider of year-round, daily, scheduled helicopter transfers between Nice Airport and Monaco Heliport. Seats and charters on this scheduled service can be purchased on the Blade mobile app from €195 each way. Blade Europe is also a leader in the helicopter charter business providing flights throughout the South of France, Monaco, Northern Italy, Switzerland and popular ski destinations in the Alps.

About Blade Air Mobility

BLADE is a technology-powered, global urban air mobility platform committed to reducing travel friction by enabling cost-effective air transportation alternatives to some of the most congested ground routes in the U.S. and abroad. No company flies more people in and out of city centers than BLADE. See BLADE's helicopter and jet charter routes. With BLADE, you can book by-the-seat on scheduled flights between Manhattan and JFK or Newark airports, between Vancouver and Victoria in Canada and between Nice and Monaco in Europe.

For more information, visit www.blade.com

About Emirates
Emirates is an award-winning global airline that serves over 140 cities on six continents through its efficient hub in Dubai. The airline has earned customer recognition for its industry-leading services on the ground and in the sky, delivered by a passionate workforce representing over 160 nations. Emirates operates the world’s largest fleet of wide-body Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft, offering spacious cabins and iconic inflight features such as its A380 Shower Spa and Onboard Lounge and its ice inflight entertainment system available in all seats across its fleet.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by the use of words such as "will", “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “continue,” “expect,” “estimate,” “may,” “plan,” “outlook,” “future” and “project” and other similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. These statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable and may also relate to Blade’s future prospects, developments and business strategies. In particular, such forward-looking statements include statements concerning Blade’s future financial and operating performance, results of operations, business and capital deployment strategies and plans, customer behavior, competitive position, industry environment and growth opportunities, and the development and adoption of EVA technology. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions concerning future events. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance.

Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside Blade’s control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements include: our continued incurrence of significant losses; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its related effects, failure of the markets for our offerings to grow as expected, or at all; our ability to effectively market and sell air transportation as a substitute for conventional methods of transportation; the inability or unavailability to use or take advantage of the shift, or lack thereof, to EVA technology; our ability to successfully enter new markets and launch new routes and services; any adverse publicity stemming from accidents involving small aircraft, helicopters or charter flights and, in particular, any accidents involving our third-party operators; the effects of competition; harm to our reputation and brand; our ability to provide high-quality customer support; our ability to maintain a high daily aircraft usage rate; changes in consumer preferences, discretionary spending and other economic conditions; impact of natural disasters, outbreaks and pandemics, economic, social, weather, growth constraints, and regulatory conditions or other circumstances on metropolitan areas and airports where we have geographic concentration; the effects of climate change, including potential increased impacts of severe weather and regulatory activity; the availability of aircraft fuel; our ability to address system failures, defects, errors, or vulnerabilities in our website, applications, backend systems or other technology systems or those of third-party technology providers; interruptions or security breaches of our information technology systems; our placements within mobile applications; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights; our use of open source software; our ability to expand and maintain our infrastructure network; our ability to access additional funding; the increase of costs and risks associated with international expansion; our ability to identify, complete and successfully integrate future acquisitions; our ability to manage our growth; increases in insurance costs or reductions in insurance coverage; the loss of key members of our management team; our ability to maintain our company culture; our reliance on contractual relationships with certain transplant centers and Organ Procurement Organizations; effects of fluctuating financial results; our reliance on third-party operators; the availability of third-party operators; disruptions to third party operators; increases in insurance costs or reductions in insurance coverage for our third-party aircraft operators; the possibility that our third-party aircraft operators may illegally, improperly or otherwise inappropriately operate our branded aircraft; our reliance on third-party web service providers; changes in our regulatory environment; regulatory obstacles in local governments; the expansion of domestic and foreign privacy and security laws; the expansion of environmental regulations; our ability to remediate any material weaknesses or maintain internal controls over financial reporting; our ability to maintain effective internal controls and disclosure controls; changes in the fair value of our warrants; and other factors beyond our control. Additional factors can be found in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, each as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect us. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made, and Blade undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changes in expectations, future events or otherwise. We are unable to reconciled forward-looking non-GAAP guidance, including Flight Profit Margin, Adjusted Corporate Expenses, and Adjusted EBITDA, without unreasonable effort due to the variability and low visibility with respect to certain costs, the most significant of which are incentive compensation, transaction-related expenses, and certain value measurements, which may have unpredictable, and potentially significant, impact on future GAAP financial results.

Contacts

Media Relations
Lee Gold
Press@Blade.com 

Investor Relations
Mat Schneider
Investors@blade.com 

Released May 15, 2024