The aviation operator will again manage championship golf helicopter services in 2026, broadening its work with Blade around a major USGA event.
Zip Aviation will return as the exclusive helicopter programme operator for the 2026 Championship Golf Season, including the 2026 USGA Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. The announcement, made on May 8, 2026, also expands the company’s partnership with Blade Air Mobility, which will support marketing, sales and customer-facing flight operations. Together, the arrangement places helicopter access and event aviation logistics at the centre of a premium transport proposition for spectators, sponsors and VIP guests.
The programme reflects the logistical demands of championship golf, where venues can draw significant traffic and may be difficult to reach efficiently by road. Zip Aviation said it oversees end-to-end flight operations and logistics, alongside the engineering, design and management of dedicated aviation landing zones at major venues. The company’s work has covered championship events since 2016, according to the release, including the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and Masters Tournament.
For the 2026 season, Blade will lead marketing, sales and customer-facing flight operations while Zip Aviation provides the operational infrastructure. The companies will collaborate on the USGA Championship at Shinnecock Hills, extending their existing event relationship to a tournament in the Hamptons. Zip Aviation describes its service model as combining time-saving access to congested venues, premium travel for VIP guests and corporate partners, and aviation infrastructure that can be adapted to large-scale events.
The partnership illustrates how major sporting occasions can require more than aircraft and passenger transfers. Landing-zone planning, flight coordination and customer booking are being handled as connected parts of the same service, with Blade’s customer reach paired with Zip Aviation’s operational role. That division of responsibilities gives the announcement a business-to-consumer dimension while remaining rooted in the behind-the-scenes infrastructure required to move people around high-profile venues.
The 2026 USGA Championship therefore becomes a specific test of the expanded arrangement, although the release does not provide passenger volumes, pricing or a detailed flight schedule. It does establish that Zip Aviation is maintaining its championship-golf role and extending its collaboration with Blade into another major tournament setting. The company’s emphasis on safety, coordination and premium guest access positions the programme as an event-mobility service rather than simply a charter offering.
