Joby Achieves the First Piloted eVTOL Air Taxi Flight Between Two Public Airports

Business Wire

19 hours ago

SANTA CRUZ, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY), a company developing all-electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, today announced it has successfully operated with other aircraft in FAA-controlled airspace by completing its first flight between two U.S. airports, Marina (OAR) and Monterey (MRY), California. The achievement is a major step as part of Joby's commercial market readiness, highlighting key capabilities across safety, operations, air traffic control and certification progress. It's a critical measure of the maturity of the Company's path to commercialization as the flights also demonstrated the type of real-world service Joby intends to offer to the public.
'Successfully flying from Marina to Monterey showcased operations of our aircraft integrated in the broader transportation network and further validated its performance to ensure we're prepared for service on day one"
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Joby's flight time from OAR to MRY was approximately 12 minutes over 10 nautical miles, including 5 minutes in a hold pattern at MRY for air traffic spacing. The piloted flight included vertical takeoff, transition to wingborne flight, integration into the controlled airspace around MRY, and vertical landing. The milestone marks the first time a piloted electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi has flown from one public airport to another. The flight also successfully demonstrated the team's ability to conduct mobile flight tests and deliver full ground support operations away from home base in Marina.
'Successfully flying from Marina to Monterey showcased operations of our aircraft integrated in the broader transportation network and further validated its performance to ensure we're prepared for service on day one,' said Didier Papadopoulos, President of Aircraft OEM at Joby. 'For years, our flight testing has validated our aircraft's capabilities, and we've done this across a wide range of environmental conditions. As part of the natural progression of our flight test program, it was time to venture further, and there was no better place to visit first than our neighbors in Monterey.'
These critical flight tests also provided developmental data related to the human factors of operating the aircraft at a controlled airport and in the enroute national airspace. In particular, Joby's ability to integrate into controlled airspace was demonstrated when its aircraft successfully sequenced with other aircraft at Monterey Airport, including a holding pattern to accommodate another arriving airliner. Joby's aircraft systems, pilot certification and training were on full display by adhering to the same air traffic control protocols as a major airline. This is also an important step in the Company's certification efforts, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires aircraft to demonstrate they can operate in shared airspace by flying between multiple airports.
On the heels of Joby's planned acquisition of Blade Air Mobility's passenger business, the demonstration continues to show the Company's commercial market readiness. The achievement builds on Joby's long history of testing and development, including more than 40,000 miles flown across its fleet. Joby recently began final assembly of its first aircraft intended for Type Inspection Authorization flight testing, one of the last major steps in FAA certification. It plans to begin flight testing with FAA pilots early next year. Following certification, Joby is planning to launch commercial service domestically starting in Los Angeles and New York City.
Video of the flight demonstration can be viewed here.
About Joby
Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) is a California-based transportation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing air taxi. Joby intends to both operate its fast, quiet, and convenient air taxi service in cities around the world and sell its aircraft to other operators and partners. To learn more, visit www.jobyaviation.com.
Forward-Looking Statements ​​
This release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the 'safe harbor' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding the development and performance of our aircraft, the growth of our manufacturing capabilities, our regulatory outlook, progress and timing, including the expected timing for FAA flight testing; our business plan, objectives, goals and market opportunity, including initial launch markets; and our current expectations relating to our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects, capital needs and growth of our operations. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as 'anticipate', 'estimate', 'expect', 'project', 'plan', 'intend', 'believe', 'may', 'will', 'should', 'can have', 'likely' and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. All forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including: our ability to launch our air taxi service and the growth of the urban air mobility market generally; our ability to produce aircraft that meet our performance expectations in the volumes and on the timelines that we project; the competitive environment in which we operate; our future capital needs; our ability to adequately protect and enforce our intellectual property rights; our ability to effectively respond to evolving regulations and standards relating to our aircraft; our reliance on third-party suppliers and service partners; uncertainties related to our estimates of the size of the market for our service and future revenue opportunities; and other important factors discussed in the section titled 'Risk Factors' in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') on February 27, 2025, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 8, 2025 and August 7, 2025, and in future filings and other reports we file with or furnish to the SEC. Any such forward-looking statements represent management's estimates and beliefs as of the date of this release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.