Air taxi firm Joby applies to fly in Australia

The US-based company said the request builds on a bilateral agreement with the FAA for mutual recognition of approvals and certifications.

Joby’s eVTOL – electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft – is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at up to 200mph speeds but generate far less sound than a traditional helicopter.

“To date, Joby has completed more than 33,000 miles of all-electric flight with full-scale prototype aircraft and, in November 2023, Joby became the first electric air taxi company to fly in a major U.S. city, taking off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in New York and demonstrating its aircraft’s quiet acoustics for an audience including Mayor Eric Adams, who announced the city’s intention to electrify the heliport,” said the company on Tuesday.

“Type certification is a multi-year process which sees a company undertake rigorous testing and documentation across each aircraft system to prove the aircraft meets safety standards and is ready for commercial operations.

“Joby was the first electric air taxi developer to have its FAA certification basis published in the U.S. Federal Register, and was also the first company to complete the first, second and third of five stages of the FAA type certification process required for commercial service.

“Joby has also applied to have its FAA type certificate, once received, validated by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority.”

VIEW ALL

Skyportz, the Australian company building vertiports for electric aircraft, said the news would boost the sector following Uber Elevate’s withdrawal from Melbourne.

“In Australia there is strong policy support for the development of Advanced Air Mobility from our safety regulator, CASA, our Federal and State Governments”, said Clem Newton-Brown, CEO of Skyportz.

“What we have been missing since the departure of Uber Elevate is a serious commitment from any of the leading electric air taxi operators to enter our market through local certification. This announcement by industry leader, Joby, is very exciting for the emerging local ecosystem.

“With this announcement today, we could see Joby aircraft commence operations in Australia from our Skyportz sites in the foreseeable future.

“This policy announcement is a green light for the property development industry to start planning for this revolution in the way we move people.

“The vertiport infrastructure is the missing piece of the puzzle for this industry. Without new vertiport landing sites in places people want to go, the aircraft will never fulfil their potential.”

The news comes after Australian Aviation reported in May that Skyportz itself would buy up to 100 electric helicopters (“eCopters”) from urban air mobility firm FlyNow.

The deal will give Skyportz subsidiary Wilbur Air, which will use the Skyportz vertiport network, access to small cargo helicopters that will fly freight between businesses on fixed routes with flight plans rather than autonomously selecting their routes.

FlyNow says its small battery-electric helicopters, which will use coaxial rotors rather than a quadcopter-like design, will have a maximum payload of 200kg and a maximum take-off weight of 570kg, and will be able to fly for up to 30 minutes with a maximum speed of 130km/h and maximum range of 50km.