Joby Aviation, a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, today announced it has successfully flown two of its aircraft simultaneously for the first time.
The two-aircraft flight, completed in Marina, California, on May 9, comes two weeks after the company successfully completed flights with a full transition from vertical to cruise flight, and back again, with a pilot onboard.
Joby has partnered with Delta Air Lines and Uber to bring its service to the U.S. and expects Los Angeles and New York City to be launch markets. Service is planned to start shortly after Joby receives type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Outside the U.S., Joby recently announced a partnership with Virgin Atlantic to bring its service to the UK and has partnered with ANA Holdings Inc., Japan’s largest airline, to bring its service to Japan.
Joby has completed more than 40,000 miles of test flights across multiple aircraft, including demonstration flights in New York City, Japan, and Korea. The sixth aircraft to join Joby’s flight test program is currently undergoing final functional checks, having been powered on for the first time last month. Two aircraft are positioned at Edwards Air Force Base where they are completing testing in conjunction with the Company’s defense customers.