US air taxi developer Joby Aviation continues pursuing early operations of its yet-to-be-certificated electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in the desert metropolises of the Middle East.
The Santa Cruz-based start-up disclosed on 10 September that it has initiated an Air Operator Certificate application with the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), which would grant it authority to launch commercial air taxi operations in the country.
“There is incredible momentum behind the adoption of clean flight across the UAE, and we’re excited to be working with a wide range of partners, including the GCAA, to lay the groundwork for one of the world’s first electric air taxi networks,” says JoeBen Bevirt, Joby’s founder and chief executive.
Joby is at the outset of a five-stage application process with the GCAA and does not specify a timeline for launching operations in the UAE.
Racing to enter revenue-generating service with the new eVTOL class of aircraft, top US developers Joby and rival California start-up Archer Aviation have looked increasingly the Middle East. Some industry observers believe that those companies will likely launch operations in the region upon securing type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.
“They have been spending a lot of time in the region, generating deals and opportunities,” Andres Sheppard, a senior equity analyst at Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald, told FlightGlobal earlier this year. “The reality is that the jurisdiction and legislation there is perhaps more friendly than it is here, currently.”
Archer and Joby have been jostling for position in the UAE specifically as they push for certification of their respective piloted, four-passenger eVTOLs.
In Mach, Archer announced plans to operate in Dubai despite Joby’s deal – signed a month prior – with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA), granting it exclusive rights for air taxi operations within the emirate for a six-year period.
Archer still appears intent on operating flights between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, disclosing in May a partnership with Etihad Aviaton Training aimed at developing an Abu Dhabi-based air taxi pilot training centre.
During a pre-Farnborough air show call with reporters, Bevirt described Joby as “right on the cusp of launching service with our air taxi”. Both Archer and Joby say they are on track to secure FAA certification as soon as next year.
