Joby Aviation is moving forward with its plans to launch commercial eVTOL operations in the Middle East.
On September 9, 2024, the Californian company announced that it has submitted an application to aviation authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to become certified as an air taxi operator.
The announcement was made during the Advanced Air Mobility Symposium, organized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is taking place in Montréal, Québec, Canada, between September 9-12, 2024.
Joby’s founder and CEO, JoeBen Bevirt, personally delivered a letter of intent (LOI) to this effect to the Director General of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi during the event.
Obtaining UAE certification is a necessary step in Joby’s plan to set up a regular air mobility service in Dubai from 2026.
The project, which has been endorsed by Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, calls for the establishment of a network of vertiports in cooperation with infrastructure developer Skyports and the local Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
According to this transportation blueprint, eVTOL services will link several key transportation nodes in the emirate, such as Dubai International Airport (DXB), Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina, and Dubai Downtown.
Since 2022, Joby has already had a similar certificate in the US, although, given that its eVTOL is not certified, it has used it only with conventional aircraft. These real air taxi operations allow Joby to collect data and gauge the needs of an operation of this nature.