Air taxi maker Joby says first AAM flights may start in Dubai in 2025

The race to launch the first air taxi services is nearing the final sprint phase, with Joby now saying it looks set to put its advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft into operation in late 2025 in Dubai, even before its domestic US market.

Word that Joby is planning to initiate its first air taxi flights outside its home market dropped this weekend, when company president of operations Bonny Simi told Bloomberg efforts toward initiating AAM services in Dubai were progressing faster than expected. Local authorities, she said, were working to “remove as many roadblocks as possible for us to move as quickly as possible and as safely as possible.”

As a result, Simi said Joby air taxis might be cleared to begin AAM operations sometime in late 2025, “so we’ll be able to launch in Dubai first.” 

The prospect of a major US AAM developer launching services outside its home market may cause some tongues to wag. But given the race among air taxi developers to be the first to the skies – and the competition among nations to be the first hosting those commercial flights – Joby’s nod to Dubai isn’t too surprising.

The emirate last year announced its intention to usher in battery-powered aviation by 2026. Then, just last month, it signed a six-year deal with Joby granting it exclusive rights to operate air taxi flights between an initial network of four vertiports around the city-state.

With trial AAM outings having been expected in late 2025, Joby’s weekend announcement moves its expected schedule up by several month, possibly even half a year.

Add to that the rigorous Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification approval Joby continues navigating before it can plan air taxi operations in the US, and it becomes even less surprising the company foresees initial activity abroad. Indeed, Simi noted authorities in Dubai are proving “a bit more advanced in the approach that they’re taking,” which is helping to “de-risk that initial launch for us.”

There’s also the possibility of differing certification criteria being involved. When EHang received certification from authorities in China, some observers suggested that first-ever global clearance might have been aided by national authorities adopting less stringent operating criteria than other regulators – the FAA topping that list.