Photo: Joby Aviation Joby Aviation, a company developing electric air taxis for commercial aircraft, announced yesterday (Fri) the completion of its first flight between two airports in the U.S. - Marina (OAR) and Monterey (MRY), California - in airspace controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The flight represents a significant step in the preparation for commercial service and demonstrates the company's capabilities in safety, operations, air traffic integration, and air control. It is also a first milestone where an eVTOL electric aircraft combining vertical takeoff and landing conducted a flight between two airports.
The flight duration between Marina and Monterey was about 12 minutes over 10 nautical miles, including 5 minutes in a holding pattern at Monterey Airport to maintain safety spacing with other aircraft. During the flight, vertical takeoff, transition to winged flight, integration into controlled airspace, and vertical landing were performed, adhering to standard aviation control protocols.
According to Didier Papadopoulos, President of Aircraft OEM at Joby: "The flight from Marina to Monterey demonstrated our aircraft's integration into the broader transportation network and proved its performance to ensure readiness for commercial service from day one. For years we've tested the aircraft's capabilities in diverse environmental conditions, and now it's time to expand the testing field - there's no better place than our neighbors in Monterey."
Additionally, the flight provided important data for developing the human aspects of aircraft operations in controlled airports, especially demonstrating the company's ability to safely integrate into shared airspace with other aircraft, including maintaining a holding pattern for another plane landing.
The flight strengthens the company's readiness for the commercial market, particularly following the planned acquisition of Blade Air Mobility's passenger operations, building on accumulated flight experience of over 40,000 miles with the company's aircraft fleet. Joby recently began assembling the first aircraft intended for FAA inspection under the Type Inspection Authorization round, one of the final steps for regulatory approval.
After obtaining the necessary approvals, the company plans to launch commercial service in major U.S. cities, with Los Angeles and New York City at the forefront.
Watch the video of the historic flight:
As a reminder, we reported in March that Virgin Atlantic and Joby Aviation launched electric air taxis capable of flying at a maximum speed of 322 km/h, with a range of 160 km.