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Business Wire
a day ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Joby Achieves the First Piloted eVTOL Air Taxi Flight Between Two Public Airports
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" Share 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 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.
The National
30-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Why Dubai's flying taxi is set to make history
When an air taxi took to the Dubai sky on Monday, it announced the city's target to be the first in the world to offer a commercial all-electric aerial option to tackle traffic congestion. A round of applause greeted the pilot of the Joby Aviation aerial taxi after making a gentle vertical landing in the Dubai desert, completing a test flight of the electric aircraft. The test flight of California-based aviation company's electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft lasted a few minutes, with the company saying it was on track to rolling out the service early next year. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, hailed it as a landmark and a 'major step forward' in the long-term vision to revolutionise public transport. 'It's really exciting for us to be here,' said Didier Papadopoulos, Joby's president of aircraft. 'We started this journey many years ago, working to make sure we have the right product to solve one of the hardest things − which is, how do we deal with congestion for larger cities like Dubai? 'This is the first time we have taken this aircraft outside of the US to a market of deployment and have flown it with a pilot on board. It's an amazing achievement and we chose Dubai to do that.' Building infrastructure The aircraft can reach a maximum speed of 320kph. The target is to be able to fly up to 160km carrying a pilot and four passengers. 'You want to take off like a helicopter so you can take off from small locations within the cities, but you want to become a plane as soon as possible, usually within 45 seconds from take-off,' Mr Papadopoulos said. The vertiport infrastructure to support the vertical take-off and landing will be at Dubai International Airport, Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina and The Palm Jumeirah. The assurance is that the aerial taxi will take less than 12 minutes from Dubai Airport to the Palm, compared with about 45 minutes by road. 'The plan is to deliver the first vertiport at Dubai International Airport in Q1 2026 and hopefully start commercial services very soon after,' said Anthony Khoury, Joby's UAE general manager. He said an application would allow a passenger who landed at DXB airport to order an aircraft at the DXB vertiport, fly to The Palm and take an Uber to the final destination. 'Uber is our first partner, but we will be integrating with other modes of transport to have a cohesive, comprehensive, multimodal experience,' Mr Khoury said. 'So, you don't really need to think about first mile, last mile and how do I get to the vertiport. Everything will be integrated.' It is planned that more stops will be added in Dubai to the initial four, with the initiative also expanded within each emirate to deliver connections between them. Affordable vision Joby has yet to specify its pricin g, but has said it aims to be affordable. 'Our vision is to have affordability,' Mr Khoury said. 'Our ambition is for this to be accessible for everyone who wants to take an aerial taxi.' Archer Aviation, another air taxi company, which plans to launch services in Abu Dhabi, had earlier said inner-city travel would cost Dh300 ($81) to Dh350, while travel to other emirates would range from Dh800 to Dh1,500, according to local media. UberChopper in Dubai charges Dh520 per person for a 12-minute tour, or Dh1,050 per person for a 25‑minute city circuit. Why Dubai? Joby Aviation was invited by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, in 2024 to bring aerial taxis to the city and then signed an agreement with the Road and Transport Authority to be the exclusive provider. 'What you saw today is phase one,' Mr Papadopoulos said. 'We were able to bring an aircraft here, fly on a regular basis to be able to demonstrate the performance of this aircraft for a Dubai-type of operation, particularly thinking about temperatures and humidity. 'Over the next few months, you will see us come in here and fly in additional capacities as we get into the commercialisation next year.' Joby, which flew its first piloted test flight in New York a few years ago, said Dubai was selected to launch commercial operations due to the co-operation with the RTA and regulatory agencies, such as the General Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Civil Aviation Authority. 'The problem we're trying to solve is congestion around cities, connecting people from point A to point B and these are really common problem statements around the world,' Mr Papadopoulos said. 'In New York we're definitely focusing on making progress there and with the regulatory agency, the FAA [Federal Aviation Authority]. 'We were very fortunate to have this relationship in Dubai and the UAE with the RTA, GCAA, DCAA, where they were open to introducing this airplane and rolling it out first. So, we took this opportunity and this collaboration to be able to start here, in addition to the US development.' Joby Aviation's test flight – in pictures
