Joby Aviation is to expand its pilot production facility in Marina, California, eventually doubling capacity to 24 aircraft per year.
Covering 40,400sq m (435,000sq ft), the site will support the scale-up of commercial operations for its four-passenger electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Joby says.
These include obtaining initial US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) production certification, building conforming components for ground and flight testing, and the provision of flight simulators and aircraft maintenance.
Alongside its headquarters in Santa Cruz, California, Joby operates another facility in the state in San Carlos, where its focus is on the powertrain and electronics.
While the Marina factory will build the first production aircraft, Joby is also in the process of standing up another final assembly site in Dayton, Ohio.
This facility, located at the city’s international airport, will initially manufacture and test components for the Marina production line and will support the company’s scale-up plans.
“Equipment installation is under way, with production ramping up to eventually build up to 500 aircraft a year at that location,” says Joby.
Meanwhile, the manufacturer has also added to its flight-test fleet with the maiden sortie of its sixth prototype. The aircraft earned airworthiness clearance within a week of its completion, the company says.
US certification for the serial aircraft is targeted for 2026. However, Joby is working to launch services first in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Test flights in the emirate began last month, building on an exclusive agreement with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) signed in 2024.
According to a graphic presented by the RTA on 30 June and highlighted on LinkedIn by advanced air mobility consultant Sergio Cecutta, the “aerial taxi project” calls for a first flight from a newly built vertiport – designated DXV due to its proximity to Dubai International airport, or DXB – in early 2026 with just a pilot on board.
This will be followed by flights between DXV and another vertiport in the emirate carrying non-paying passengers, which will take place in the second and third quarters of 2026.
Commercial services will then be rolled out in the final quarter of next year across a network of four vertiports. In addition to the DXV facility, these will be located at the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Downtown and Dubai Marina.
