- Saudi Arabia accelerates electric air taxi deployment with Joby partnership.
- FAA-based certification fast-tracks advanced air mobility implementation nationally.
- Local manufacturing, talent development strengthened through major aviation collaborations.
Saudi Arabia has made significant progress in initiating electric air taxis, finalizing a recent memorandum of understanding between the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and Joby Aviation to expedite the introduction of Joby’s aircraft in the Kingdom.
The collaboration will utilize Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification criteria as the foundation for an expedited approval process, establishing Saudi Arabia as a leading early adopter of air mobility solutions globally.
Through the agreement, Saudi Arabia becomes part of the US, the UK, Japan, South Korea, and the UAE as a worldwide launch market for Joby’s electric air taxi service, bolstering the Kingdom’s long-term goals to excel in next-generation aviation technologies.
JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, said, “We’ve been collaborating with the FAA since 2016 on the certification and the commercial operations of our aircraft, and we’re now putting those standards to work on a global scale.”
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Captain Sulaiman bin Saleh Al-Muhaimedi, the Executive Vice President for Aviation Safety and Environmental Sustainability at GACA, stated that the agreement signifies an important step toward reaching the Kingdom's advanced air mobility (AAM) goals.
He mentioned that the initiative seeks not only to implement new aviation technologies but also to enhance domestic capacity by localizing important elements of manufacturing and cultivating highly skilled national talent. Al-Muhaimedi states that the partnership enhances the AAM roadmap as part of the Aviation Programme within the National Transport and Logistics Strategy.
Joby’s extensive strategy in Saudi Arabia involves significant partnerships with Abdul Latif Jameel, which is investigating the provision of as many as 200 Joby aircraft worth around $1bn, and with Aloula Aviation (previously known as Mukamalah Aviation), the aviation division of Saudi Aramco.
The recent statement extends the strengthened economic collaboration between the U.S. government and Saudi Arabia after US President Trump’s trip to the Kingdom in May this year.