Joby completes first piloted eVTOL air taxi flight between public airports

Didier Papadopoulos, President of Aircraft OEM at Joby Aviation, commented on the achievement: “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.”

The company reports that its fleet has accumulated over 40,000 miles during development and testing. Joby is nearing completion of the certification process as it prepares for commercial launches planned in Dubai next year and initial U.S. operations in Los Angeles and New York. Its partnerships include Delta Air Lines for U.S. markets and Virgin Atlantic for potential services in London.

Founded in 2009 and based at Marina Municipal Airport, Joby recently began final assembly of its first conforming aircraft ahead of Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) tests—the last major step before full certification. In addition, Joby reached an agreement worth approximately $125 million to acquire Blade Air Mobility's rideshare business. This acquisition aims to strengthen infrastructure at locations such as New York JFK and Newark Liberty airports by leveraging Blade's expertise in urban air mobility.

Joby is also expanding manufacturing capacity through a partnership with Toyota that will enable production of up to 24 aircraft per year. Its forthcoming commercial services are designed for use by a single pilot with up to four passengers per vehicle. These eVTOLs can travel up to 150 miles on one charge with top speeds reaching 200 mph using only electric power—a move aimed at reducing emissions within the aviation sector.