Joby Aviation Applies For UK-U.S. Certification

Joby Aviation, a company producing all-electric aircraft for commercial passenger transport, today announced it has formally submitted for certification of its groundbreaking aircraft design for use in the United Kingdom.

Photo Insert: There hasn't been any electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company applying to have their FAA type certificate validated internationally until Joby.

This application will allow Joby's U.S.-based certification to be concurrently validated by the United Kingdom's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), speeding up the Company's path to market in the U.K., even though Joby is currently pursuing the "type certification" for its aircraft with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and expects the U.S. to be its first operating market.

There hasn't been any electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company applying to have their FAA type certificate validated internationally until Joby. Type certification is usually a long process that takes several years.

During this time, a company tests and documents every part of an airplane to show that it is safe and ready for commercial use. All aircraft, no matter how big or small, go through the same type certification process. This has helped make air travel one of the safest ways to get around today.

Joby's five-seat piloted eVTOL aircraft is intended to connect people and cities via quick, silent, and emission-free flight, with a maximum range of 150 miles and a modest acoustic profile.

The proposal from Joby expands on a March announcement from the FAA and CAA, in which they announced their intention to use the existing Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement between the two regulators to facilitate the introduction of eVTOL aircraft inside existing regulatory frameworks.

“By working hand-in-hand on certification, the U.K. and the U.S. are setting the stage for these two countries to be amongst the earliest adopters of this important new technology," said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO, Joby Aviation, in response to the application.

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