Joby Completes Landmark Year of Flight Activity, Advancing Global Commercial Readiness and FAA Certification Progress
Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE: JOBY), the California-based company pioneering electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, has concluded a milestone year of global flight operations with the successful completion of its final international flight demonstration of 2025. The closing campaign, held at the iconic Fuji Speedway in Japan, marks the culmination of a year defined by unprecedented flight tempo, expanding international operations, and tangible progress toward regulatory certification.
The week-long demonstration in Japan, conducted in collaboration with Toyota Motor Company, included 14 piloted flights and served as the capstone to a year in which Joby’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft completed more than 850 flights worldwide. Over the course of 2025, Joby’s fleet accumulated more than 50,000 flight miles—representing a 2.6-fold increase in operational activity compared with the prior year—and delivered critical validation of aircraft design, manufacturing readiness, and operational maturity.
Together, these achievements underscore Joby’s accelerating momentum as it advances toward Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Type Certification and prepares to launch its first commercial passenger services in 2026.
A Year Defined by Scale, Rigor, and Operational Depth
Joby’s 2025 flight campaign stands as the most extensive and demanding in the company’s history. Unlike earlier test programs focused primarily on performance validation, this year’s activity emphasized real-world operations, including piloted flights in controlled airspace, point-to-point missions between public airports, and international demonstrations aligned with future commercial use cases.
“2025 saw the most extensive and rigorous flight testing in our history,” said James “Buddy” Denham, Joby’s Chief Test Pilot. “Flying in active, controlled airspace in three countries this year—from the California coastline to the iconic Fuji Speedway and the deserts of Dubai—has been a powerful demonstration of Joby’s operational maturity.”
Denham emphasized that the breadth of environments and regulatory contexts encountered during the year’s flights reflects a shift from experimental testing toward operational validation, a critical step on the path to certification and commercialization.
Japan Demonstration Highlights Global Readiness
The Fuji Speedway campaign represented Joby’s final international flight activity of the year and symbolized the company’s growing global footprint. Conducted in partnership with Toyota Motor Company, a strategic manufacturing and technology partner, the demonstration showcased Joby’s aircraft performing consistently in a new operational environment.
Japan is considered a strategically important market for advanced air mobility, given its dense urban centers, complex airspace, and strong government interest in next-generation transportation solutions. Successfully executing piloted flights in such an environment reinforces Joby’s confidence in its aircraft design and operational procedures.
The campaign also reflects Joby’s broader approach to international engagement: collaborating with local partners, regulators, and infrastructure stakeholders early to support future commercial deployment.
Global Flight Campaigns Across Three Continents
Throughout 2025, Joby conducted flight operations in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan, demonstrating its ability to operate consistently across diverse climates, regulatory regimes, and airspace environments.
In Japan, Joby completed 41 flights during World Expo 2025 in Osaka, providing high-visibility demonstrations of electric air taxi technology to international audiences. These flights helped build public awareness while providing Joby with valuable experience operating in congested airspace.
In the UAE, Joby conducted 21 flights as part of an environmental and operational test campaign, exposing the aircraft to extreme temperatures and desert conditions. Joby also achieved a notable milestone by becoming the only eVTOL aircraft to fly during the weeklong Dubai Airshow, highlighting its readiness to operate alongside conventional aviation traffic at major international events.
In the United States, Joby continued its core flight test activities along the California coast, integrating operational learnings from international campaigns into its domestic certification efforts.
Point-to-Point Flights Signal Commercial Intent
One of the most significant developments of the year was Joby’s completion of multiple piloted point-to-point flights between public airports—an essential capability for future air taxi services.
The company completed its first such flight between Marina Municipal Airport (OAR) and Monterey Regional Airport (MRY), both active public airports with scheduled commercial operations. This was followed by another point-to-point mission between Marina and Salinas Municipal Airport (SNS) during Joby’s participation in the California International Airshow.
In the UAE, Joby achieved an additional milestone by completing the first piloted point-to-point air taxi flight in the region, flying from its test facility in Margham to Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC). Conducted ahead of the Dubai Airshow, the flight demonstrated Joby’s ability to integrate into international airport operations—a critical requirement for future urban air mobility networks.
These point-to-point missions move Joby beyond traditional test patterns and closer to the operational profiles expected of commercial service.
Advancing Future Technologies Alongside Core Certification
While progressing toward certification of its production aircraft, Joby also continued to advance future-facing technologies that expand its long-term capabilities.
The company successfully flew its turbine-electric demonstrator aircraft just three months after announcing the concept, illustrating the speed at which Joby can translate ideas into flight-ready hardware. This dual-use development approach supports both civilian and government applications while reinforcing Joby’s engineering agility.
Joby’s Superpilot™ autonomous flight technology also achieved major milestones during the year, logging more than 7,000 miles of flight during a large-scale U.S. defense exercise over the Pacific Ocean. These flights validated autonomous capabilities in complex, mission-driven environments and reinforced the scalability of Joby’s flight control architecture.
Data-Driven Progress Toward FAA Certification
The sheer volume of flight activity in 2025 generated a wealth of performance and reliability data critical to Joby’s certification roadmap. During the year, Joby’s electric air taxi flights covered more than 9,000 miles and supported the completion of over 4,900 individual test points.
This growing body of real-world flight data directly supports the final stages of FAA Type Certification. In particular, it contributes to the compliance evidence required for Type Inspection Authorization (TIA), which marks the transition to FAA-conducted certification flight testing. Joby expects to begin TIA flight testing in 2026.
Beyond flight performance, the data collected during 2025 has enabled Joby to finalize key operating and maintenance manuals—another prerequisite for certification and commercial service. The company’s flight test strategy has demonstrated that its aircraft is already operating within applicable FAA airworthiness standards as it approaches the final phase of regulatory approval.
Preparing the Ecosystem for Passenger Operations
Joby’s progress in the air has been complemented by advancements on the ground, particularly through partnerships that support passenger logistics and operational scaling.
A notable example came from Blade Urban Air Mobility’s operations at the Ryder Cup in New York. During the four-day international sporting event, Blade transported more than 2,500 passengers between the New York metropolitan area and the tournament site, representing one of the largest multi-day civilian helicopter operations in U.S. history.
While Joby aircraft were not used for passenger transport during the event, the operation provided valuable data and insights into high-tempo passenger movement, ground coordination, and customer experience—lessons that directly support Joby’s future electric air taxi services.
Building Confidence in Commercial Readiness
Taken together, Joby’s 2025 achievements demonstrate a clear transition from experimental development to operational readiness. The company has shown it can fly frequently, safely, and reliably across multiple geographies while generating the data required to satisfy regulators and build confidence among future customers.
The scale of operations—more than 850 flights in a single year—reflects a level of maturity uncommon among next-generation aviation programs at this stage of certification. It also signals Joby’s ability to support the operational tempo required for commercial service.
As Joby looks ahead, the focus will increasingly shift toward certification milestones, manufacturing readiness, and market entry preparation. With TIA flight testing planned for 2026 and passenger service targeted soon thereafter, the company enters the next phase of its journey with substantial operational momentum.
The Joby Aviation conclusion of 2025 marks more than the end of a busy flight year—it represents a validation of Joby’s long-term vision for clean, quiet, and efficient urban air mobility. By combining disciplined engineering, global operational experience, and regulatory alignment, Joby has positioned itself among the leaders shaping the future of commercial aviation.
As cities worldwide search for sustainable transportation solutions and regulators gain confidence in eVTOL technology, Joby’s year of flight stands as a defining chapter in the evolution of electric air taxis from concept to commercial reality.
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