Joby Aviation nears completion of Part 135 Air Carrier Certification

On March 15 Joby Aviation Inc. (Santa Cruz, Calif., U.S.) announced that the company has begun the fourth of five stages to receive its Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

A Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate is required for Joby to operate its composites-intensive electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft as an air taxi service in cities and communities around the U.S. Alongside a type certificate (TC) and production certificate, this is one of three regulatory approvals critical to the planned launch of Joby’s all-electric aerial ridesharing service in 2024.

After filing an initial application for a Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate in June 2021, Joby completed the second stage in August, which includes submission of a complete package of manuals. The third and fourth stages involve FAA review, as well as approval of manuals and FAA observation of the company performing operations to ensure full regulatory compliance.

The week of March 7, 2022, Joby entered the fourth stage of the process, with FAA representatives beginning to observe Joby’s initial cadre of pilot instructors as they demonstrate mastery of training and operational procedures using the company’s prepared manuals and training program.

The fifth phase is FAA final approval and issuance of the Part 135 certificate. Joby expects to complete the Part 135 certification process later this year. 

“Our aspiration is to not just build and certify a revolutionary aircraft, but to operate a commercial passenger service that saves people time with minimal impact on the environment,” says Bonny Simi, head of air operations and people at Joby. “Achieving a Part 135 certification unlocks the ability to do that, and we’re moving through the process ahead of  schedule.”

Joby also recently announced a partnership with CAE (Montreal, Canada), a global leader in aviation training, to develop and qualify flight simulation training devices that Joby will use to train commercially-rated pilots to fly the Company’s eVTOL aircraft.