Joby Aviation, Inc. announced it has signed a multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Municipalities and Transport - Abu Dhabi (DMT), the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) that lays the groundwork for Joby to establish and scale air taxi services in Abu Dhabi and beyond. The MoU, signed at the DRIFTx international thought-leadership and exhibition platform in Abu Dhabi, demonstrates the breadth of support available to Joby as part of their participation in the Smart and Autonomous Vehicles Industry (SAVI) cluster and builds on Joby's existing commitments to the UAE, including the exclusive right to operate air taxi services in Dubai, which the company expects to start as early as next year. The agreement also unlocks the potential for inter-emirate air taxi services, for example between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Joby?s aircraft, which is on display for the first time in Abu Dhabi at the DRIFTx event in Yas Marina, is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour (321 km/h) with zero operating emissions and a remarkably low acoustic footprint. Its maximum range of 100 miles (161 km) would enable fast and clean air travel both within Abu Dhabi and across the wider UAE, with a journey from Abu Dhabi to Dubai taking around 30 minutes compared with around two hours by car during rush hour. Joby has been working closely with the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the UAE to define a path to support the region in becoming world leaders in the introduction of air taxis.

The GCAA regulatory framework builds upon FAA standards with additional company testing and analysis alongside a high level of regulator oversight and an ongoing review process to ensure safety for early operations. Inter-emirate travel would require additional approval from the GCAA.