California: Joby Aviation has announced that it has commenced flying its first aircraft that will undergo federal certification testing, a critical milestone toward receiving type inspection authorization (TIA), a key step for commercial operations.
Pilots at Joby’s Marina, California, facility have begun initial test flights of the air taxi. These flights serve as a precursor to evaluations by US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilots scheduled later this year.
The company has spent several years working closely with regulators to approve the aircraft’s design, construction plans, and components. Joby test pilots have already logged more than 50,000 miles (80,500 km) in developmental aircraft ahead of the first production model’s certification.
History has a new tail number.
Our first FAA-conforming aircraft for TIA is officially in the air. This marks a major milestone within the final stage of certification, with @FAANews pilots expected to begin "for credit" flight testing later this year.
As the U.S. accelerates… pic.twitter.com/r8JGsjy82b
— Joby Aviation (@jobyaviation) March 11, 2026
Joby Aviation’s air taxi is a six-rotor electric aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing like a helicopter while flying level like an airplane. It accommodates a pilot and four passengers. The company plans to begin operations later this year in Dubai, where two of the four planned landing sites are already under construction, as announced in February.
“Seeing this aircraft fly means everything to our team. It’s the validation of years of hard work and marks our entry into the final phase of bringing this aircraft to market,” said Didier Papadopoulos, President of Aircraft OEM at Joby.
In the US, Joby Aviation will start limited operations this year as part of a White House-backed initiative to accelerate the integration of electric air taxis and other small aircraft into national airspace. The company is participating in five of the eight FAA pilot programs announced to support this initiative.
Looking ahead, Joby aims to produce four aircraft per month in 2027, with manufacturing taking place at its facilities in California and Dayton, Ohio.
ALSO READ | OpenAI plans to add Sora AI video tool to ChatGPT
