Joby Aviation, designer and developer of a four-passenger, piloted eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) craft, has signed what it terms a ‘definitive agreement’ with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) to launch air taxi services in the Emirate by early 2026. Under the agreement, Joby will have the exclusive right to operate air taxis in Dubai for six years.
“Today’s landmark agreement delivers on all three ingredients required to successfully launch an air taxi service – a definitive path to operations, well-placed infrastructure supported by dedicated partners, and an aircraft with the capacity and range to offer meaningful journeys,” highlighted Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevrit, who added that operations could commence from as early as 2025. The company has also signed an agreement with Skyports, who will initially design, build and operate four vertiport sites across Dubai.
His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, director-general, chairman of the Board of Executive Directors for RTA, added that “the air taxi service is part of RTA’s efforts to embrace future transportation technologies and offers a novel and efficient mobility option for Dubai’s residents and visitors”.
The plans to commence UAE operations come just days after Joby received its Part 145 Repair Station Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the first eVTOL developer to receive this permission: allowing Joby to perform maintenance, repair and overhaul services on its aircraft once certified for commercial operations. The FAA also accepted Joby’s propulsion system certification plan, with Didier Papadopoulos, president of aircraft OEM at Joby, explaining: “We now have an approved path across our certification program for all of the structural, mechanical, and electrical systems of our aircraft”.
Joby gains exclusive rights to operate UAE eVTOL air taxi service
