Joby on Tuesday said it formally applied for its flagship design to be certified by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for a commercial passenger air taxi service Down Under. The manufacturer would leverage a bilateral agreement between the FAA and CASA that would allow its FAA type certificate to be validated by the Australian regulator.

The FAA in March published final special class airworthiness criteria that Joby will use to obtain that approval, which it hopes to achieve by next year. The company has also received Part 135 authorization to operate its aircraft and Part 145 certification to perform maintenance and repairs.

“With commercial powered-lift operations already considered in CASA’s regulatory frameworks, we’re pleased to be working with Australian authorities using a regulatory path to market that is actively being pursued by numerous countries around the world,” said Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt.

Joby has also applied for its FAA type certificate to be validated by regulators in the U.K. and Japan.

The manufacturer’s flagship design is a four-passenger air taxi with 100 sm (87 nm) range and 200 mph (174 knots) cruise speed, ideal for intracity trips such between city center and airport. The firm intends for the service to operate much like ground-based rideshare platforms Uber and Lyft and will use a recently unveiled software suite called ElevateOS, which has been approved for use by the FAA.

Uber’s Elevate subsidiary previously ran the short-lived UberCopter service, which used helicopters rather than eVTOL aircraft. Several Joby employees, including head of product Eric Allison, who helped develop ElevateOS, joined the manufacturer when it acquired Uber Elevate in 2020, and Uber became a partner and investor.

In Australia, Joby has a relationship with Skyportz Infrastructure, a developer of vertiports. These sites, often modified airfields, enable vertical takeoff and landing and are equipped with electric charging stations for eVTOL aircraft to juice up. The two companies do not yet have a deal for Joby to use Skyportz vertiports but have agreed to build a mock passenger terminal to test future air taxi operations.

Of note, Skyportz in April launched an operating subsidiary, Wilbur Air, which will fly routes connecting the company’s vertiports nationwide. Joby plans to operate its own aircraft in the U.S. but has also contemplated the direct sale of aircraft to operating partners.

“With this announcement [Tuesday], we could see Joby aircraft commence operations in Australia from our Skyportz sites in the foreseeable future,” said Skyportz CEO Clem Newton-Brown.

Bolstering that prediction is CASA’s recent release of vertiport design guidelines, which call for the sites to exclude helicopters.

“This will give the AAM industry an opportunity to demonstrate to the community that a vertiport (catering only for air taxis) may be more desirable than a heliport,” said Newton-Brown.

Down Under, the company may need to compete with Boeing air taxi subsidiary Wisk Aero, which is also working toward service in Australia and has a partnership with a similarly named infrastructure provider, Skyports (with an “S”). The partners are seeking to stand up a vertiport network by the time the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games begin in Brisbane.

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On Friday, Southwest and Archer Aviation, manufacturer of the Midnight electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop a network of routes connecting Southwest terminals at California airports.

The airline is the state’s largest air carrier and owns key hubs in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and the San Francisco Bay Area, where Archer recently announced plans to construct eVOL infrastructure, such as takeoff and landing vertiports, at five airports.

Archer’s flagship aircraft, which takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies on fixed wings like an airplane, is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on 20 to 50 sm (17 to 43 nm) air taxi routes, cruising at up to 150 mph (130 knots).

As soon as next year, it will begin ferrying customers to and from airports at a price the manufacturer claims will be cost-competitive with ground-based rideshare services such as Uber or Lyft.

“Integrating Archer’s electric aircraft into the travel journey potentially gives us an innovative opportunity to enhance the experience of flying Southwest,” said Paul Cullen, vice president of real estate for the airline.

Cullen also left the door open for an expansion of Southwest’s air taxi service to locations in other states.

Added Dee Dee Meyers, senior adviser to California Governor Gavin Newson and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development: “This initiative is designed to help revolutionize clean transportation with zero-direct emission and affordable options, enhancing the passenger experience, and supporting California’s climate action goals.”

The agreement with Southwest builds on Archer’s existing relationship with United Airlines, which in 2021 agreed to purchase 100 Midnight air taxis for an estimated $1 billion. Under that agreement, Archer will develop a software platform, mobile booking platform, and vertiport integration technology for a commercial service operated by United.

Delta Air Lines, the third major U.S. carrier with plans to launch an air taxi network, is working with Archer competitor Joby Aviation.

In addition, Archer in June signed a deal with Signature Aviation that would give it access to more than 200 FBOs, including those at New York Liberty International Airport (KEWR), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (KORD), and other airports the company intends to serve. The manufacturer also has an agreement with FBO network operator Atlantic Aviation to electrify Atlantic terminals in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco.

“With Archer’s Midnight aircraft, passengers will be able to fly above traffic to get to the airport faster,” said Nikhil Goel, chief commercial officer of Archer. “Southwest customers could someday complete door-to-door trips like Santa Monica [California] to Napa in less than three hours.”

Archer and Southwest will begin by developing a concept of operations for Midnight out of Southwest terminals, partnering with airline employees and union groups such as the Southwest Airlines Pilot Association (SWAPA).

The companies “plan to collaborate over the next few years as eVTOLs take flight,” which does not commit them to a 2025 or 2026 launch. Archer, Joby, and other eVTOL manufacturers such as Beta Technologies and Overair intend to enter commercial service during that time frame.

Adding Southwest as a partner could be key for Archer when considering the activities of its competitor overseas.

Both firms plan to fly in the United Arab Emirates, including the cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In February, however, Joby signed what it describes as an exclusive six-year deal with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority, giving it the sole right to operate an air taxi service in the emirate. Archer CEO Adam Goldstein has disputed the exclusivity of the agreement, saying it will have no impact on the company’s plans.

That dynamic has not yet played out in the U.S.—both companies plan to fly in New York, for example. But if Joby intends to replicate the strategy of gaining an edge over competitors with exclusive deals, partnerships such as that with Southwest become more important.

Notably, the companies have also butt heads on eVTOL infrastructure. Each is pushing for a different electric aircraft charging system to become the industry standard, similar to how Elon Musk fought for Tesla’s North American Charging Standard to supplant the widely accepted Combined Charging Standard (CCS) for electric ground vehicles (a fight Tesla ultimately would win).

Similarly, Joby wants its Global Electric Aviation Charging System (GEACS) to replace a modified version of the CSS supported by Archer, Beta, and others, which could throw a wrench into their FBO electrification plans.

Among eVTOL manufacturers, Archer and Joby are the closest to being able to fly in the U.S. Each has achieved a full transition flight using a prototype air taxi and expects to begin the critical for-credit phase of FAA certification in the coming months.

In addition, both are qualified to perform eVTOL maintenance and repairs and are in the process of training an initial group of pilots to fly their respective aircraft.

The goal is for those activities to be complete in time for a 2025 launch. Whether Southwest will be a part of that occasion remains to be seen.

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On June 24, the firm’s “first-of-its-kind” hydrogen-electric, vertical takeoff and landing (hVTOL) demonstrator completed a 532 sm (462 nm) flight—about the distance between San Francisco and San Diego—above Marina, California, home to the Joby’s test facility and pilot production line. The aircraft landed with more than 10 percent of its hydrogen fuel remaining, with water the only byproduct of the flight.

Joby believes the test, which included a vertical take off and landing, represented the first forward flight for a liquid hydrogen-powered eVTOL aircraft. The company said hydrogen is a key piece of its future plans.

“We’re excited to now be building a technology stack that could redefine regional travel using hydrogen-electric aircraft,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby. “Imagine being able to fly from San Francisco to San Diego, Boston to Baltimore, or Nashville to New Orleans, without the need to go to an airport and with no emissions except water. That world is closer than ever.”

The development signals a shift in Joby’s stated business philosophy, which before Thursday was centered around flying urban air mobility (UAM) routes within cities.

In a blog post penned by Bevirt and Raffaele Russo, business manager for new technologies at Joby, the company’s top brass said regional air mobility (RAM) is also on the agenda. The firm has alluded to a regional service before, but Thursday’s developments appear to confirm that one is in the works.

“Although the specific energy of batteries is improving, their weight will continue to limit the application of electric aircraft to short-distance travel,” the blog post reads. “To serve regional markets, we plan to use hydrogen to increase the potential range and payload of electric aircraft.”

Joby’s hydrogen-electric program builds on the technology developed by its subsidiary H2FLY, acquired in secret in 2021.

The manufacturer built the hydrogen-electric demonstrator by modifying one of its battery-electric aircraft, which has already flown more than 25,000 miles, with a hydrogen fuel tank capable of storing up to 40 kilograms of liquid, supercooled hydrogen. It includes a smaller battery cell, which provides extra power during takeoff and landing.

The design employs the same airframe and overall architecture as its battery-electric counterpart. It will use the same takeoff and landing sites and operations team, as well as ElevateOS—a proprietary, Uber-like software suite unveiled in June.

ElevateOS comprises a pilot app, rider app, operations suite, and matching system that connects riders with aircraft based on departure time, arrival time, and location. It includes an integration with the Uber app, allowing Uber customers to book Joby flights and vice versa.

The hydrogen-powered model also includes the H2F-175 hydrogen fuel cell, built by H2FLY, which produces electricity and heat with water as the sole byproduct. The fuel cell powers the aircraft’s six electric motors, which feed into tilting propellers that assist in both hover and forward flight, and charges the batteries while they are deactivated in cruise mode.

The technology was deployed about one year ago during a milestone H2FLY flight, which Joby claims was the first crewed flight of a hydrogen-electric aircraft with a runway takeoff.

According to Joby’s estimate, the hydrogen-electric model will have a greater payload than a battery-electric design or an aircraft using an equivalent amount of jet fuel.

Bevirt is also bullish on hydrogen production, pointing to the U.S. Department of Energy’s $7 billion investment in clean “hydrogen hubs.” He noted that hydrogen can be produced using a variety of low- or zero-emission sources such as wind or water power, which could help the aviation industry meet commitments to eliminate emissions by 2050.

“We recognize that broadly commercializing hydrogen will require doing the hard miles on regulation and infrastructure, along with fuel storage and distribution, but we have demonstrated that regional hydrogen-electric flight is possible today,” Bevirt and Russo wrote in Thursday’s blog post.

Bevirt said the bulk of the work Joby has done to certify its flagship, battery-electric air taxi will carry over to commercializing a hydrogen-electric variant. The company’s hydrogen-electric activities are supported by Agility Prime, the vertical lift technology division of the U.S. Air Force innovation arm, AFWERX.

“Agility Prime has been very supportive of hydrogen-powered aircraft development and testing as it aligns with the program’s goals to advance transformative vertical lift technologies and broader Department of Defense operational energy goals of energy substitution and diversification, and energy demand reduction,” said Jacob Wilson, acting branch chief of Agility Prime.

Joby is also collaborating with AFWERX’s Autonomy Prime division, which, as the name implies, develops self-flying aircraft.

The company in June acquired autonomous flight company Xwing for an undisclosed fee and intends to build a self-flying version of its flagship air taxi in the future, using Xwing’s Superpilot software. U.S. competitor Wisk Aero and Chinese eVTOL manufacturer EHang are among the handful of firms looking to fly autonomous air taxis at launch.

Joby aims to launch commercial operations with its flagship battery-electric air taxi in 2025, in partnership with Delta Air Lines. New York and Los Angeles are slated as the company’s first U.S. markets.

The aircraft is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on trips up to 100 sm (87 nm), cruising at 200 mph (174 knots). In the U.S., Joby will operate the model itself.

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Joby on Thursday introduced its Elevate Operating Software (ElevateOS), a suite of platforms designed to help the company support on-demand air taxi operations the same way Uber and Lyft manage ground-based rideshare services. According to the company, ElevateOS is approved for company use under the FAA Part 135 permissions it was awarded in May 2022.

The firm says the system represents a key piece of what it has termed its “preflight checklist”— a set of objectives it aims to complete before launching a commercial U.S. service in 2025 with partner and investor Delta Air Lines. Company executives talked at length about the blueprint during a presentation Thursday afternoon.

ElevateOS comprises three main applications—a core operations system that manages landing pad access, maintenance scheduling, and more, pilot app, and mobile-first rider app. A fourth component, which Joby describes as “an intelligent matching engine,” connects passengers to aircraft and takeoff and landing sites, akin to existing ride-hailing services.

Within the pilot app are tools that enable pre and postflight checks, ensure pilots are getting enough rest, and provide information on aircraft weight and balance through an integration with the rider app. The latter platform is intended to function much like the Uber app for riders, with which ElevateOS will actually have an integration at launch. Joby riders will be able to book on the Uber platform and vice versa.

“The air taxi service we plan to deliver isn’t like any sort of air travel that’s existed before,” said Eric Allison, the former head of Uber air taxi arm Elevate who now serves as chief product officer for Joby. The manufacturer acquired Uber Elevate in 2021. Allison also previously served as CEO of Zee.Aero—which would eventually become Boeing’s air taxi arm, Wisk Aero—for eight years.

“We expect travelers to book on-demand and to be boarding an aircraft just minutes later, much like the experience of using ground-based ridesharing today,” Allison added. “That required us to totally rethink the software and the operations of these aircraft.”

Elevate, which ran the short-lived Uber Copter service, failed, Allison said, because the software platform required for such a service did not yet exist. He and others who migrated to Joby developed ElevateOS from the ground up with the goal of bringing an on-demand service to the aerial realm, where scheduled flights are king.

According to Allison, the four key components of ElevateOS work in concert, communicating between one another to ensure operators, pilots, and other team members are on the same page. Each portion was built on the same platform in the same language, a strategy he compared to Amazon’s launch of Prime delivery services.

Leveraging the FAA Part 135 permissions it was awarded in May 2022, Joby already has put ElevateOS through two years of real-world testing.

Using a Cirrus SR22, which like its flagship air taxi is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers, the company has been running an internal shuttle service for its team members through an early version of the rider app. Employees select a desired time, origin, and destination and are autonomously matched with other riders.

The app already handles payments for whole-aircraft flights, which has allowed Joby to offer charter services to some external customers as well. Additionally, the firm says it has integrated both the pilot and rider app with its backend software. By October of last year, all three main components were working in tandem and simulating real-world operations.

Now, Joby has the FAA’s sign-off to deploy these tools for commercial service when the time comes. The firm intends to use ElevateOS in its own operations, but it will also offer it to certain customers who purchase aircraft as part of a wider service package.

The Preflight Checklist

Joby on Thursday updated investors on its progress toward a commercial launch in a presentation that revealed the company’s completed and pending objectives. The so-called preflight checklist covers the company’s service, safety procedures, pilots, operating systems, and maintenance.

Much of the company’s certification work with the FAA will transfer to those international markets, Joby president of operations Bonny Simi said, through bilateral agreements with other regulators. The firm intends to offer pilot training, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), safety systems, and other services wherever it flies, bundling some of these into an offering for customers as well.

Having earlier this year received the first set of FAA final airworthiness criteria for an eVTOL design and acquired autonomous flight developer Xwing, Joby is making steady progress on the development of its aircraft itself. The next step will be adding it to the company’s Part 135 certificate, a process Simi said has already begun.

Understanding that it cannot simply drop its air taxi into the existing airspace system and expect success, Joby is now in the process of building a new ecosystem for its flagship design.

ElevateOS checks several boxes. But the biggest area of need, according to the preflight checklist, is pilots. Currently, no FAA-certified eVTOL, or powered-lift, pilots exist. The agency is in the process of developing training and certification requirements for these pilots, which Joby is using to design an internal training course.

The company aims to develop an FAA-approved program comprising Part 141 pilot school certification, Part 142 training organization approval, and Level 3 full flight simulators qualified under Part 60.

It says it has already developed an aircraft-specific course to train qualified commercial pilots to fly its air taxi. The program was borne out of a partnership with Canadian flight simulator developer CAE, which in 2022 agreed to build immersive eVTOL training simulators for Joby. 

These full-motion, six-axis simulators, capable of mimicking the eVTOL flight envelope, will be used in training, a requirement for companies building a single-pilot air taxi. Joby says it has already begun the multiyear development and approval process, performing hundreds of tests, comparing simulator and aircraft data, and working closely with the FAA. It believes it is on track to certify the device before its U.S. launch. A modified version of the simulator will be used to train pilots in the United Arab Emirates.

According to Joby, 10 Air Force pilots have now flown the aircraft through a full transition from hover to forward flight. It expects to be able to train a commercial airline pilot to fly the air taxi in about six weeks. In the early years of operations, the aircraft will likely be staffed by pilots with experience flying for airlines or the military, and who would prefer to live and work in the same region.

Already, the company has begun private pilot training and ground school to help new pilots to obtain an initial rating, which could then be used to add powered-lift permissions. It says it is on the way to certifying a Part 141 training academy. Additionally, should Joby secure Part 142 approval, it could sell training as a service to customers.

On the maintenance side, Joby is using its recently acquired FAA Part 145 certificate to design a comprehensive MRO network for itself and its customers. In designing its aircraft with systems such as direct drive motors, the company’s goal is to reduce maintenance costs and increase aircraft availability compared to helicopters. It intends to use predictive maintenance planning, tracking the wear and tear of components to preempt any issues that would sideline the aircraft.

The company is in the process of establishing MRO services in Dubai and has already completed some MRO work in advance of operations. The goal is to one day add that capability to its entire fleet to keep operations around the globe humming. A $1 million FAA grant, intended to help Joby design one of the first training programs for eVTOL mechanics, will aid those efforts.

Another dimension Joby is concerned with is safety, which Allison called “the North Star of everything we do.”

In January, the FAA announced that a Part 5-approved Safety Management System (SMS), previously a voluntary measure, would be required for all Part 135 air operators. Simi described the SMS as an organization-wide approach to managing risk. Joby in 2023 became the first eVTOL company to get an SMS approved by the FAA and is in the process of implementing it across all operations, from manufacturing to training to MRO. It is also working to incorporate an SMS for original equipment manufacturers, another new requirement.

Joby expects to achieve type certification in the coming months prior to a planned launch in New York and Los Angeles with partners Delta and Uber, which according to Simi is the first phase of the company’s commercial rollout. Following that, it will ramp up to missions with the U.S. Department of Defense and expand to overseas markets such as the UAE, where it has a six-year agreement to operate an air taxi service in Dubai. It also plans to sell aircraft to Mukamalah, the aviation arm of Saudi Aramco.

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Joby on Tuesday announced it acquired the autonomy division of Xwing, the developer of autonomous gate-to-gate flight software Superpilot, as it looks ahead to a transition to self-flying air taxi services. The manufacturer plans to initially operate the aircraft with onboard pilots and has a partnership with Delta Air Lines to launch commercial service as early as next year, beginning in New York and Los Angeles.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. But the acquisition was paid for with Joby shares and covers “all of Xwing’s existing automation and autonomy technology activities,” the company said.

“The aircraft we are certifying will have a fully qualified pilot on board,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, “but we recognize that a future generation of autonomous aircraft will play an important part in unlocking our vision of making clean and affordable aerial mobility as accessible as possible.”

Like competitors Wisk Aero, the eVTOL subsidiary of Boeing, and Archer Aviation—which in August agreed to make Wisk the exclusive provider of autonomous systems for a future variant of its flagship air taxi—Joby evidently believes autonomy will be key to scaling up its operations.

The manufacturer began exploring pilotless flight in 2021 with the acquisition of radar developer Inras, whose technology it said it would use to develop an onboard sensing and navigation system.

One problem the eVTOL industry faces is a lack of powered-lift pilots, for which the FAA is working to develop a training and certification pathway. In the short term, autonomy could take on more flight functions, akin to autopilot technology on commercial airliners, to allow operations with smaller crews. Further out, it could allow Joby to remove the pilot from its aircraft entirely.

Wisk argues that the technology will further make operations safer and more affordable for passengers. That’s important, because eVTOL manufacturers, including Joby and Archer, claim their air taxi services will be cost-competitive with ground-based rideshare options such as Uber and Lyft.

Additionally, Joby said Xwing’s Superpilot will help it fulfill obligations for the U.S. Department of Defense, through which it is under contract with AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force. The manufacturer has so far committed to four deliveries out of a total of nine air taxi orders—two each to Edwards Air Force Base in California and MacDill Air Force Base in Florida—delivering one to Edwards.

Joby in March estimated that the agreement has a total contract value of $163 million but on Tuesday said Xwing’s technology gives it room for growth.

“Autonomous systems are increasingly prolific in the private sector and bring potentially game-changing advantages to the Air Force as well,” said Colonel Elliott Leigh, director of AFWERX and chief commercialization officer for the Air Force. “We created Autonomy Prime to keep up with this shift and to stay engaged as a partner while this technology evolves so that we can adapt and evolve along with the private sector, maintaining our competitive advantage.”

Rather than develop autonomous software in-house, as it does for most of its aircraft’s components and systems, Joby will instead adopt the technology Xwing has been building since its founding in 2016.

A platform-agnostic system, Superpilot uses AI and machine learning algorithms to automate a range of tasks such as vision system processing, detect and avoid, decision making, and mission management, including route planning and live updates.

The system integrates into type-certified aircraft and is designed to change the role and location of the pilot, enabling remote supervision from a ground control station within the existing air traffic control system. However, Xwing on its website says the technology “is applicable to and will improve safety in both piloted and autonomous aircraft.”

Xwing began flying Superpilot-equipped aircraft in 2020 and has since completed more than 250 autonomous flights and 500 autolandings using a modified Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. Since 2021, it has operated a Part 135 air carrier business, flying 400 feeder cargo flights per week for UPS. Through a nonexclusive agreement with Cessna manufacturer Textron Aviation, the company intends to retrofit more small cargo aircraft, beginning with the Grand Caravan.

Last year, Superpilot became the first standard category large uncrewed aerial system (UAS) to receive an official FAA project designation, initiating the process for it to be approved for commercial cargo operations in U.S. national airspace. Under a three-year contract with NASA, Xwing is allowing researchers to study the technology and develop a safety management system (SMS) to integrate routine, pilotless flights alongside conventional aircraft.

In May 2023, the Air Force committed to exploring Superpilot for defense applications through a 21-month flight trial awarded by AFWERX. It must like what it’s seen so far, because less than a year into the partnership, it granted military airworthiness to Xwing’s modified Cessna, allowing it to begin performing cargo missions in unrestricted airspace. In February, the aircraft completed the Air Force’s first autonomous logistics mission.

Joby on Tuesday said Xwing engineers, researchers and technologists will join the manufacturer to seek out new technology development partnerships with the DOD. The department is eyeing autonomous cargo aircraft as a way to take human pilots out of potentially dangerous scenarios.

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The manufacturer on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mukamalah Aviation—a subsidiary of state-owned oil and gas company Saudi Aramco that according to Joby operates the world’s largest fleet of corporate aircraft—to introduce its eVTOL air taxi in the country.

Mukamalah serves 13 airports across Saudi Arabia with multiple fleets comprising a total of 55 aircraft. The operator manages nine of these locations in addition to more than 300 onshore and offshore helipads.

JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, and Captain Khalid Al Natour, CEO of Mukamalah, signed the agreement, which may culminate in the direct sale of Joby aircraft to Mukamalah, at the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh.

The MOU builds on Joby’s agreements with the leadership of Dubai and Abu Dhabi to fly in the neighboring United Arab Emirates—which is quickly becoming a hot spot for eVTOL activity—as early as 2025.

“Saudi Arabia presents a remarkable opportunity for our technology, and the scope and scale of Mukamalah’s operations make them a natural partner for us,” said Bevirt.

Joby’s flagship air taxi is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers at up to 200 mph (174 knots), with a range of 100 sm (87 nm). Flights will largely be based out of vertiports installed at locations such as airports and hotels, generating a fraction of the noise produced by helicopters, the manufacturer says.

The company intends to operate its own aircraft in markets such as the U.S. and UAE, contrasting with competitors such as Archer Aviation. But Joby says the direct sale of aircraft to operating partners, such as Mukamalah, is part of its commercialization strategy.

The agreement will include Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and other local aviation stakeholders “to expedite Joby’s entry into the Saudi Arabia market.”

“We are proud to be working together with Joby and Mukamalah on the regulatory framework necessary to support the introduction of eVTOL aircraft,” said a GACA spokesperson. “These initiatives will help the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia meet its climate goals and steer the nation towards a sustainable future.”

Joby first announced its plans to fly in the Middle East in February, signing a definitive agreement with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) to launch air taxi operations in the UAE as soon as 2025. 

The company said the partnership gives it “exclusive” rights to operate air taxis in the Emirate of Dubai for six years following the start of service. However, competitor Archer Aviation—which has its own plans for Dubai and the UAE—believes it will have no issue operating in the Emirate.

Joby expanded its plans for the UAE to Abu Dhabi in April, partnering with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and other local stakeholders to establish its services nationwide. The company teased the possibility of air taxi routes connecting the nation’s two largest cities, offering 30-minute trips.

ADIO is also collaborating closely with Archer, EHang, and other eVTOL manufacturers eyeing service in the country, offering them financial incentives to localize manufacturing and other operations.

As Emirati leaders push to make the nation a leader in urban air mobility (UAM), it appears the Saudi government may have a similar goal.

The Arab Center Washington DC characterizes the relationship between the two countries as a “rift,” driven by a desire to become the dominant economic power in the region. Both nations rely heavily on their oil industries and have turned to tourism to diversify revenues.

Saudi Arabia made sustainability a pillar of its Vision 2030 plan to diversify the country’s oil-dependent economy. Saudi leaders hope to reach net-zero carbon emissions across all industries by 2060 and have already enacted regulations, such as around hydrogen production, to help get there.

“Over the past years, we have already invested in a more sustainable future, including taking steps in sustainable aviation fuel [SAF] testing, supporting the development of hydrogen solutions in the aviation ecosystem, and supporting the Kingdom’s green initiatives by delivering sustainable aviation solutions,” said Al Natour.

Earlier this year, The Helicopter and Jet Company, a Saudi state-owned commercial helicopter operator, partnered with Houston-based Bristow Group to explore the introduction of eVTOL aircraft in the country. Bristow has orders for as many as 50 such models from Vertical Aerospace and as many as 55 from Beta Technologies, as well as up to 50 Electra.aero hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft.

German manufacturers Volocopter and Lilium are also eyeing eVTOL networks in Saudi Arabia. The former received an order for 10 VoloCity aircraft to be flown in the planned industrial, residential, and tourist zone of Neom, while the latter agreed to sell as many as 100 eVTOL jets to Saudi flag carrier Saudia.

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The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the legislation with a 387-26 vote after the Senate approved it last week, meaning the only thing standing in the way of the bill becoming law is a signature from President Joe Biden. The bill would reauthorize the FAA for the next five years.

Drone and AAM industry stakeholders have plenty of reasons to be excited. Within the legislation are several critical provisions intended to move the industries forward and assert the U.S. as a global leader in emerging aviation technology.

For example, the bill would require the FAA, within four months of passage, to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for drone flights beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of a human operator. A BVLOS regulation has long been sought by the drone industry, as it would allow drones to fly farther than they do with humans directly watching them, opening new use cases.

The bill also contains a mandate for the FAA to publish a final special rule for operations of powered-lift aircraft—a new category that includes eVTOL air taxis—within seven months of passage. It would expand FAA research into preparing the U.S. for the safe integration of electric, hydrogen-electric, and other new aircraft types, including type and pilot certification, the electrification of existing aviation infrastructure, and the installation of vertiports.

Immediate reactions to the legislation’s House passage have been overwhelmingly positive.

The Commercial Drone Alliance (CDA), which comprises U.S. uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) companies and organizations, offered general praise for the long-awaited bill.

“The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 brings much-needed stability to both the FAA and aviation industry and enables the U.S. drone industry to keep pace with other countries,” said Lisa Ellman, executive director of the CDA. “This legislation reflects years of dedicated collaboration between lawmakers and industry stakeholders, including the CDA.”

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), a global nonprofit, highlighted a few provisions in particular, such as the progress toward a final BVLOS rule and powered-lift aircraft operations.

“We look forward to working with the FAA and Administrator [Michael] Whitaker on the implementation of congressional mandates on key issues for our industries, including a Part 108 BVLOS rule and a special final rule for powered lift aircraft operations, which will safely unlock scalability and new, high-value commercial drone and AAM operations,” said Michael Robbins, president and CEO of AUVSI.

Pete Bunce, president and CEO of the General Aircraft Manufacturers Association (GAMA), applauded the bill for “furthering air traffic and airport operations through…electric aircraft infrastructure, fostering future improvements in certification and production oversight, expanding sustainability research programs, and following through on initiatives focused on a safe transition to unleaded avgas.”

U.S. lawmakers—on both sides of the aisle—similarly applauded the bill’s passage in the House.

Representative Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who authored provisions in the legislation that would invest $1 billion into airport improvement projects, praised the bipartisanship of the House vote and several forward-thinking provisions within the bill.

“Our reauthorization legislation addresses several critical priorities, including…addressing environmental resiliency, strengthening the general aviation sector, [and] ensuring the safe operation and integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft,” said Cohen.

Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) highlighted the bill’s benefits to the domestic drone industry. The legislation would ban federal procurement and use of drones produced by Chinese manufacturers—a longtime target of U.S. lawmakers, who perceive the foreign drones as a threat to U.S. industry and national security. Attempts to restrict Chinese-made drones have been the subject of controversy among industry stakeholders.

“This bill contains many provisions important to the Hoosier [State] aviation industry and the flying public,” said Young. “I am pleased that it passed the Senate in a strong bipartisan vote and urge the House to pass this critical bill.”

Manufacturers of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis have heaped praise on the bill’s AAM provisions.

Joby Aviation singled out language around the type certification of novel aircraft and propulsion sources, training of eVTOL pilots, development of AAM operational rules, and production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Joby board members Michael Huerta, who was FAA administrator from 2013 to 2018, and Dan Elwell, who served as deputy and acting FAA administrator from 2017 to 2020, went into more detail in a blog post.

“This congress has implemented foundational legislation that sets the stage for U.S. leadership in the next hundred years of aviation,” Huerta and Elwell wrote. “By mandating the FAA to lean into AAM, Congress aims to ensure that the FAA will serve as a driving force for innovation and continued U.S. leadership while keeping safety at the heart of its mission.”

Across the Atlantic, German eVTOL manufacturer Lilium, which is seeking type certification with both the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and FAA, spoke highly of the bill’s commitment to modernizing AAM and eVTOL infrastructure in particular.

“We commend the United States Congress for their dedication to electrifying aviation and for recognizing the vital role that our industry will play in the future of transportation,” said Matt Broffman, head of partnerships and public affairs for the Americas at Lilium.

Added Klaus Roewe, CEO of Lilium: “The U.S. is a globally important market for aircraft like the Lilium Jet and we welcome this additional guidance from the U.S. Congress as we seek dual certification in both the U.S. and at home in Europe.”

Similarly, U.S. manufacturer Beta Technologies, which is building a network of proprietary electric aircraft chargers nationwide, praised the legislation’s emphasis on eVTOL infrastructure. The company shared with FLYING last year’s congressional testimony from CEO Kyle Clark, in which Clark lauded several measures. Among them are provisions around building new infrastructure, such as vertiports, as well as the electrification of existing airports.

“This is the first comprehensive piece of federal legislation that specifically advances the priorities of the AAM industry, which feels like a big win,” Beta told FLYING. “It’s the result of a multiyear effort by the whole industry, and we look forward to working with the FAA and DOT to implement these provisions.”

While FAA reauthorization still awaits the president’s signature, the industry, evidently, expects it to happen soon. At first glance, it appears to be a crowd pleaser: the rare piece of legislation that satisfies the demands of all, or nearly all, parties. The next challenge will be to ensure that the implementation of these provisions goes smoothly.

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The German manufacturer of the world’s first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) jet on Monday announced a firm order for 20 aircraft from UrbanLink, a U.S. eVTOL operator formed in March by aviation entrepreneur Ed Wegel, the founder and CEO of charter airline GlobalX.

Notably, the agreement—which includes another 20 purchase options—sets scheduled predelivery payments between the partners. UrbanLink intends to operate the manufacturer’s flagship Lilium Jet out of planned vertiports in South Florida, with the goal of forming a regional air taxi network by 2026.

The initial network will span Miami, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Marco Island, Lilium says.

The collaboration represents a major boost to Lilium’s efforts to serve the Florida market, which has long been in its crosshairs. UrbanLink claims to be the first airline in the U.S. fully committed to integrating eVTOL aircraft into its fleet, giving the manufacturer a crucial operational partner it previously lacked.

“While many airlines have discussed the potential of operating eVTOL aircraft, none have made a definitive commitment,” said Wegel. “UrbanLink will be the first airline in the U.S. to integrate eVTOL aircraft into its fleet…After thorough evaluation of various manufacturers, we found the Lilium Jet to be the optimal choice for our needs, thanks to its superior cabin design, range, capacity, and cost-effectiveness.”

Fellow eVTOL air taxi manufacturer Archer Aviation has a similar relationship with United Airlines, which in 2022 paid $10 million out of its $1 billion deal for the purchase of up to 100 aircraft. Joby Aviation, which intends to operate its eVTOL itself, received a $60 million equity investment from partner Delta Air Lines, also in 2022.

“This is a huge milestone, not only for Lilium, but for the commercialization of eVTOLs in the U.S.,” said Sebastien Borel, chief commercial officer of Lilium. “We believe that this purchase of eVTOL aircraft is the first by a commercial operator that isn’t invested in the manufacturer that it is purchasing from. This is a sign that the market for eVTOL aircraft has matured, and there is growing demand for aircraft that can provide connections between, rather than just within, cities.”

Wegel—who led FAA certification for two U.S. Part 135 airlines and several U.S. Part 121 carriers, including Eastern Air Lines’ fleet of Boeing 737-800s in just eight months—founded UrbanLink as a standalone venture in March.

The industry veteran envisions Miami, Los Angeles, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, as the company’s early markets. It will then expand internationally beginning with the United Arab Emirates, which is rapidly becoming an eVTOL hot spot.

UrbanLink will provide the aircraft, pilots, and other systems needed to run the airline.

The firm picked the Lilium Jet for its fleet due in part to its quiet operation. The aircraft employs a unique fan-in-wing configuration, with 36 electric ducted fans embedded in its fixed wings. Compared to other eVTOL concepts, the design sacrifices efficiency in hover for a significant reduction in noise and improvement in cruise efficiency, where it will spend up to 95 percent of its time.

Since 2020, Lilium has worked with the city of Orlando and other stakeholders to build a regional air mobility (RAM) ecosystem for its eVTOL jet in Florida. Unlike Archer and Joby, which are focused on shorter urban air mobility (UAM) routes, Lilium expects its aircraft to fly between cities, cruising at 162 knots on trips spanning 25 to 125 sm (22 to 109 nm). That range is another factor that garnered UrbanLink’s interest.

Fractional aircraft ownership company NetJets in 2022 became a Lilium partner, signing a memorandum of understanding to purchase 150 aircraft which it will operate within the Florida network. Vertiports, under development at locations such as Orlando International Airport (KMCO), will function as hubs for the service.

Vertical flight services provider Bristow Group will provide maintenance services across the network, while FlightSafety International has agreed to train an initial group of Florida eVTOL pilots.

However, adding an airline partner makes the company’s plans seem much more feasible.

In addition, the German manufacturer has a partnership with Atlantic Aviation to electrify more than 100 FBO terminals nationwide. The sites—30 of which are within Lilium target markets such as Florida, Texas, and Southern California—will be transformed to accommodate its seven-seat eVTOL jet.

Lilium expects the first piloted Lilium Jet flight test to occur in late 2024, with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certification in 2025. FAA certification, via the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement between the two regulators, would follow shortly after. Lilium remains the only eVTOL manufacturer with certification bases on both sides of the Atlantic.

UrbanLink expects to begin the FAA certification process in late 2025, with commercial service launching by summer 2026.

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The company on Thursday said it is moving to the next phase of flight testing using production prototype aircraft, the first of which came off its pilot production line at Marina Municipal Airport (KOAR) in California in June. The company on Monday rolled out a second production prototype. Until now, Joby had only flown tests using two preproduction air taxi prototypes.

So far, the U.S. Air Force is the only Joby customer to operate a production prototype as airmen are deploying the manufacturer’s first model for logistics and other missions during joint testing at Edwards Air Force Base (KEDW) in California. Joby says its second prototype will soon join the first at Edwards and so far has committed to two further aircraft deliveries to MacDill Air Force Base (KMCF) in Tampa, Florida.

Now, though, the manufacturer is ramping up to perform its own production prototype testing ahead of for-credit evaluations with the FAA.

Joby in 2023 completed 30 for-credit tests of the air taxi’s structures and components. But successful for-credit testing of the entire aircraft would represent a key step toward the pinnacle of the eVTOL air taxi industry: type certification.

“Our preproduction aircraft were the second full-scale generation of Joby’s design, and their performance met or exceeded our predictions throughout the program, successfully achieving our targets for maximum range, speed, and a revolutionary acoustic footprint,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby.

The manufacturer’s flagship air taxi is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on trips up to 100 sm (87 nm), cruising at 200 mph (174 knots). Unlike competitors such as Archer Aviation, Joby will operate the aircraft itself in partnership with Delta Air Lines.

The company is eyeing commercial urban air mobility (UAM) routes in and around large U.S. metro areas, such as New York and Los Angeles, starting in 2025. But that target will hinge on its success in for-credit evaluations.

Joby’s two preproduction aircraft together have flown more than 33,000 miles over the course of more than 1,500 test flights, 100 of which had a pilot on board.

These included the first electric air taxi exhibition flights in New York City in November, when the company’s second preproduction model flew from the Manhattan Downtown Heliport over the Hudson River. Another demonstration in 2021 included a 154.6 sm flight on a single charge.

“Over the past four years, we thoroughly tested and studied our aircraft in flight, from precision landing and outwash to human factors,” said James Denham, chief test pilot for Joby. “We often flew multiple flights per day, demonstrating our ability to fly in a wide variety of weather and operational conditions.”

Since October, the company has been flying preproduction prototypes with pilots on board. That month, four Air Force test pilots completed the eVTOL’s first crewed transition from hover to cruise flight. The crewed test program includes 31 flights over a span of two days, completed at the start of 2024 in partnership with the FAA.

Joby has also entrenched itself with NASA, working with the space agency to evaluate air taxi traffic and noise. The ability for eVTOL aircraft to fly alongside other aircraft at low volume is considered essential for UAM services, which are largely expected to take place over cities.

“Learnings from the flight test program have been invaluable to our certification program and to the broader development of regulatory frameworks around electric VTOL aircraft, validating the performance, safety, and acoustics of our design while providing insight into daily operations and maintenance,” said Bevirt.

Joby competitor Archer Aviation is also looking ahead to for-credit testing. It expects to begin those evaluations later this year following the production of three type-conforming air taxi models, which is already underway.

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Joby rolled out its first production prototype from Marina in June, delivering it in September to Edwards Air Force base (KEDW) in California ahead of schedule. There, U.S. Air Force personnel are using the aircraft to conduct logistics and other missions during joint testing. Joby and AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Air Force, signed an aircraft development and flight testing contract in 2020 that has since been expanded multiple times.

Joby says it expects its second prototype, on display at Marina on Monday, to join its counterpart at Edwards later this year following final testing.

The manufacturer designed its flagship air taxi to carry a pilot and as many as four passengers on trips up to 100 sm (87 nm), cruising at 200 mph (174 knots). The company is targeting commercial launches in major U.S. cities such as New York and Los Angeles, where it will ferry customers to and from airports in partnership with Delta Air Lines, in 2025.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Marina expansion, which Joby expects will more than double the facility’s production capacity, was attended by a who’s who of local stakeholders, including the city of Marina and the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP), and Drone, Automation, and Robotics Technology (DART) groups. A representative of the company’s manufacturing partner, auto manufacturer Toyota, was also present.

“This facility will play a foundational role in our future success, and it is a privilege to once again be growing our footprint and our workforce in California,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby. “I am grateful to the local community and our many supporters who have advocated on our behalf to reach this point and to Toyota for everything they continue to do to make manufacturing a success at Joby.”

Joby expects the expanded Marina facility to be open for operations by next year. The company is targeting a production rate of 25 aircraft annually as its scaled manufacturing plant in Dayton, Ohio, comes online.

The Dayton facility, selected in September, is expected to initially churn out 500 aircraft per year when full-scale operations begin in 2025. The 140-acre site has enough space for the company to one day fill it with more than 2 million square feet of manufacturing assets, which figures to expand capacity further.

However, Marina also has an important role to play for Joby. The company in its 2023 earnings report said a significant portion of the approximately $450 million in cash and short-term investments it projects for 2024 will go toward the site’s expansion. On Monday, it confirmed that a pilot training and flight simulation center as well as a maintenance hub, intended to support early operations, are among the planned facilities.

The expansion is funded in part by the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), which in November awarded Joby a $9.8 million California Competes grant.

The prototype aircraft being built at Marina will further support Joby’s quest for type certification. The company’s initial prototype was responsible for its first $1 million in revenue, as reported in its 2023 earnings: early flight services provided to the Department of Defense, conducted at Marina Municipal Airport.

Since then, the manufacturer has committed to two more air taxi deliveries to MacDill Air Force Base (KMCF) in Tampa, Florida, in an expansion of its $131 million contract with AFWERX. The agreement calls for the delivery of nine aircraft, of which the company has now firmly committed to four.

Evaluations conducted under the contract figure to help Joby refine its air taxi design ahead of for-credit type certification testing with the FAA. The company in February said it is ramping up to for-credit testing following the regulator’s acceptance of the certification plans for its aircraft, components, and systems.

Following the rollout of its second air taxi prototype, Joby says another two aircraft are in the final assembly phase. Parts for “multiple subsequent aircraft” are in production at the company’s recently acquired facility in Ohio, from where they will be shipped to Marina.

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