Joby and Saudi Arabia Announce Plans for Deployment of Electric Air Taxi Service
Joby Aviation and the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have announced a partnership for the rapid deployment of Joby’s air taxi service in the Kingdom.
The two entities signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create a streamlined approval process for Joby’s aircraft, utilizing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification standards as a foundation. This move positions Saudi Arabia as a leader in advanced air mobility (AAM), joining the U.S., U.K., Japan, South Korea, and the UAE as a key launch market for Joby.
Joby’s CEO, JoeBen Bevirt, expressed excitement about bringing "quiet, fast and convenient air mobility" to the Kingdom, leveraging years of collaboration with the FAA.
GACA's Captain Sulaiman bin Saleh Al-Muhaimedi emphasized that the partnership supports the Kingdom's AAM ambitions by not only bringing new technology but also by building the necessary expertise and localizing key elements of manufacturing and talent development.
The collaboration will focus on harmonizing regulations related to airworthiness, pilot licensing, maintenance, and airspace integration to enable the initial phase of operations. This builds on Joby's global commercialization strategy, which includes partnerships in Saudi Arabia with Abdul Latif Jameel (exploring delivery of up to 200 aircraft) and Aloula Aviation (the aviation subsidiary of Saudi Aramco).
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