Joby Aviation applies for UK certification of its eVTOL aircraft

Aiming to enter the vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft market in the United Kingdom,  Aviation has formally applied to the country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for approval of its five-seat piloted all-electric aircraft. 

Joby Aviation has already applied for type certification from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and expects the US to become its first operating market.  

According to a statement from the California-based manufacturer released on July 17, 2022, Joby Aviation hopes that applying for foreign validation of its pending FAA type certificate will speed up its entry into the UK market.  

Joby said it believes it is the first eVTOL manufacturer to apply for foreign validation of an FAA type certificate. Joby’s application follows recent FAA and UK CAA plans to leverage the existing Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement between both countries in order to streamline the introduction of eVTOL aircraft via 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,” Joby Aviation chief executive JoeBen Bevirt was cited in the statement. 

In March 2022, aiming to explore the integration of air taxi services into the UK airspace, Joby Aviation joined the UK-based trade association for aerospace, defense and security companies ADS Group and partnered with the country’s main air navigation service provider NATS. 

Built for a piloted on-demand air taxi service purpose, the Joby eVTOL aircraft is intended to be capable of flying up to 150 miles (240 kilometers) on a single charge at a top speed of 200 miles per hour (around 320 kilometers per hour). 

The announcement came ahead of the Farnborough Airshow, which is taking place from July 18-22, 2022 in the United Kingdom.