Joby Aviation Completes First Manned Air Taxi Flight in Dubai

Joby Aviation marked a significant milestone in its United Arab Emirates (UAE) air taxi initiative by successfully conducting its first manned, point-to-point air taxi flight in Dubai on November 17, 2025. This inaugural flight by an electric air taxi company in the UAE concluded with a successful landing at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).

The 17-minute test flight departed from Joby’s testing facility in Margham, demonstrating operational readiness to an international audience. This event underscores Joby's commercial readiness to operate within shared airspace and represents a crucial step toward launching commercial air taxi services in Dubai, which are scheduled to commence either by the end of 2025 or early 2026.

Parallel to operational advancements, infrastructure development is progressing, with Joby Aviation collaborating closely with Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Skyports Infrastructure to establish an essential network of vertiports. The first vertiport, located at Dubai International Airport (DXB), is reportedly 60% complete and is slated for finalization in the first quarter of 2026. Additional planned landing and takeoff sites include Dubai Mall, Atlantis the Royal, and the American University in Dubai.

These locations were selected to facilitate high-speed, zero-emission connections between Dubai's prominent destinations, fulfilling an exclusive six-year agreement between Joby and the RTA. The electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is configured to transport one pilot and up to four passengers, offering a rapid, clean, and low-noise transport solution. The aircraft can achieve speeds up to 200 miles per hour with a range of approximately 100 miles on a single charge, operating with no operational emissions.

For context, a typical 45-minute car journey between DXB and Palm Jumeirah is projected to be reduced to only 10 to 12 minutes using the Joby air taxi service. This achievement also validates the RTA's operational framework for developing Dubai’s air mobility ecosystem, supported by regulatory bodies such as the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

Anthony Khoury, Joby Aviation’s General Manager for the UAE, noted that this accomplishment reflects Dubai's visionary leadership, the aircraft's capabilities, and the progressive regulatory framework, including close coordination with the GCAA and the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA). Daily flight demonstrations are currently underway at the Dubai Airshow 2025, where the Joby aircraft is the sole eVTOL on display, highlighting its near-silent design compared to other aircraft.

This initiative is part of Joby's broader global strategy to integrate electric air mobility, while simultaneously strengthening Dubai's position as a global hub for future mobility testing. Joby Aviation, headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, had secured over $2.25 billion USD in funding as of June 2024. The 2026 commercial launch in Dubai is set to position the city as a primary launch site for Joby's air taxi service ahead of its commercial debut in the United States.