AVWEB reports, “Joby Aviation has completed a series of demonstration flights across the San Francisco Bay Area, showcasing its electric air taxi in one of the nation’s most congested cities.” The “aircraft (N545JX) departed from Oakland International Airport, flew across the Bay toward the Golden Gate Bridge, and turned above the Marin Headlands.”
Full Story (AVWEB)
Tag: Air Taxis
Joby Advances Toward Certification with First FAA-Conforming Flight Tests
Aviation News Daily reports, “Joby Aviation has officially commenced flight testing of its first FAA-conforming aircraft, marking a critical advancement toward Type Inspection Authorization (TIA)and commercial passenger service. This development coincides with a major White House-backed initiative that allows mature eVTOL designs to begin early operations across the United States this year.”
Full Story (Aviation News Daily)
Honda Positions Hybrid eVTOL as New Path for Urban Air Mobility
AirInsight reports, “After four years in ‘stealth mode,’ Honda revealed at the Dubai Airshow 2025 that its hybrid eVTOL program is far more advanced than anyone outside the company knew, with over 400 flight tests already completed.”
Full Story (AirInsight)
Video
Honda’s first full-scale hybrid eVTOL prototype
AIN; YouTube; Framegrab
Vertical Aerospace CEO Says New Valo eVTOL to Become ‘People’s Air Taxi’
Flying Magazine reports, “U.K. developer Vertical Aerospace this week unveiled its flagship electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Valo, which, according to CEO Stuart Simpson, will be the ‘people’s air taxi.’ A chief criticism of eVTOL aircraft is their anticipated cost, leading many to characterize electric air taxis as a service for the wealthy. But Simpson said that won’t be the case for Vertical’s flagship model.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Archer Partners with Two Saudi Companies to Develop and Test Air Taxi Services
Reuters reports, “Archer Aviation said on Wednesday it has signed a deal with The Helicopter Company and luxury developer Red Sea Global, both owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, to develop, test and potentially deploy electric aircraft in the Kingdom. Western air taxi makers have been stepping up efforts to expand beyond their home markets, with the Middle East emerging as a key target thanks to its fast-growing tourism sector, supportive regulators and willingness to invest early in next-generation transport technologies.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Beta Technologies Files for U.S. IPO
Reuters reports, “Electric aircraft maker Beta Technologies filed for an initial public offering in the United States on Monday, the latest company to join the rush to tap a record-breaking bull run in the equity market. Easing trade tensions, robust stock markets and pent-up investor demand have combined to create one of the busiest windows for listings in years, with technology, aerospace and green energy firms leading the charge.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Air Taxis at Major Airports a Step Closer to Reality
Aviation Week reports, “The prospect of flying premium passengers direct to airport terminals in clean, quiet electric air taxis has moved a step closer, but significant progress must still be made if it is to become a reality. In early August, Joby Aviation agreed to acquire the passenger business of urban helicopter service provider Blade Air Mobility.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Archer Aviation’s Midnight Nearing Commercial Rollout
Yahoo Finance reports, “Archer Aviation “is aiming to transform urban air mobility through its flagship aircraft, Midnight. Built for short, frequent flights of 20–50 miles, Midnight aircraft is nearing its commercial rollout following a handful of regulatory approvals and strategic partnerships ACHR has signed lately. In June 2025, Archer Aviation signed a strategic partnership with Jetex to develop infrastructure at the latter’s network of private terminals for facilitating Midnight jet’s upcoming commercial air taxi operations.”
Full Story (Yahoo Finance)
Aviation Week’s Check 6 Podcast: Beyond The Hype—What’s Happening With Air Taxis
In Aviation Week’s most recent Check 6 Podcast, “Beyond The Hype—What’s Happening With Air Taxis,” Aviation Week Managing Editor Ben Goldstein is joined by Aviation Week editors Graham Warwick and Jens Flottau, as well as Sergio Cecutta, founder and partner at SMG Consulting, to discuss “the progress underway in the fast-growing advanced air mobility industry.”
Listen to Podcast (Aviation Week)
FAA Introduces Downwash Caution Area for Vertiports
Aviation Week reports “When the FAA released draft updated engineering guidelines for vertiports in September 2024, it introduced the requirement for a caution area to provide protection from the high wind velocities produced by the propellers of electric air taxis during vertical takeoffs and landings. The introduction of the downwash caution area (DCA) was the result of flight surveys of multiple prototype electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft for the FAA.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)