Joby Aero, a California-based electric aircraft development company, announced on July 29, 2021, that they had started filing for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate to become the first eVTOL airline.

The Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate is necessary for Joby to operate its electric aircraft fleet to provide urban air taxi services in the United States.

Two more approvals including type certification and production certificate would be paramount to set up operations intended to commence from 2024.

Joby is currently in one of the five stages necessary to obtain Part 135 certification by 2022. They expect to commence the next stage by August 2021. 

As the company does not foresee receiving its type certification before 2023, it intends to operate traditional existing certified aircraft under the Part 135 air carrier certificate from 2022 before adding their Joby electric aircraft once certified.

“We’re excited to reach this milestone on the path toward becoming the first eVTOL airline in the world,” said Bonny Simi, Joby’s Head of Operations. “We look forward to working closely with FAA as we prepare to welcome passengers to a new kind of air travel – one that is environmentally friendly, quiet enough to operate close to cities and communities, and will save people valuable time.”

Joby’s electric aircraft is designed to transport a pilot and four passengers with zero harmful emissions. It also has a range of 150 miles, can travel at speeds up to 200 mph and has a low noise footprint.

New entrants and innovations within the electric aviation industry give optimism to extensive connectivity on an ultra-localized level.