Joby Aviation works with Virgin Atlantic to launch electric air taxis in the UK, with the seventh country in which the beginning hopes to one day hope to commercialize.

Joby, who became disclosed via the merger of special purposes in 2021, did not give a timeline for when he plans to start his partnership with Virgin in the United Kingdom.

Joby hopes to start the market testing at the end of this year or early in Dubai after delivering his first EvTol (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft to the country. The commencement also planned to start a commercial service in the US in 2025, whether in New York or Los Angeles, but the timeline could possibly be pushed out if Joby works to get the necessary certificates of the Federal Aviation Administration.

In October 2024, Joby said it was close to receiving type of certification – which means the approval of the design of the vehicle – but a spokesman could not offer an updated timeline today.

Joby will need to get his own certification from the UK before it is also introduced there. The company applied in July 2022 to ratify its aircraft for use by the British Civil Aviation Authority.

Joby’s connection to Virgin comes almost seven months after TechCrunch first reported that the two businesses had plans to work together that we came through one of our ‘little birds’.

According to the agreement, Joby will be the exclusive airline distribution partner of Virgin in the UK. The California-based company also has an interconnected agreement with one other airline, Delta, USA and the UK, but the Virgin Partnership falls under the existing transaction because Delta owns about half of Virgin.

Joby’s agreement with Delta promises to allow customers to access a premium service that transports them from local vertiports directly to the airport. (Vertiports are infrastructure where EvTols rises, land and charge.) The Virgin Partnership promises a similar network of landing sites in the UK, but it will start by connecting passengers of airline’s hubs at Heathrow and Manchester Airport in London.

According to the companies, Virgin customers will be able to discuss a seat on Joby’s aircraft in the future through the Virgin Atlantic app and website.

Working with airlines is one of the most important ways EVTOL businesses intend to market. Joby’s biggest competitor, Archer Aviation, made similar transactions with United and Southwest.

Many of these offers included airlines investments. For example, Delta has invested $ 60 million in Joby, with the option to invest up to $ 200 million more than Joby delivers on his promises. According to a Joby spokesman, an investment is not part of Joby’s agreement with Virgin.

In a statement, Virgin said it would support Joby’s efforts on the market in the UK by marketing the service to clients, working with regulators and helping to “build support for the development of landing infrastructure at key airports.”

Joby Evtol is designed to wear a pilot, four passengers and a little luggage. It promises to fly at a speed of up to 200 miles per hour, making a flight from Leeds to Manchester a 15 -minute trip.

The start is far from large -scale deployments, but Joby said his intention to start an air taxi service in the US, the UK, the UAE, South Korea, Japan, India and Australia.