Joby Aviation Targets Late-2026 Start for Dubai Air Taxi Service as Certified DXB Vertiport Is Ready but Operator Licence Is Pending

Joby Aviation plans to begin passenger air taxi operations in Dubai before the end of 2026, later than its original early-2026 target, and the start date could slip into early 2027. No passenger has yet paid for a seat. The project dates to February 2024, when Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) signed an agreement with the California-based company at the World Governments Summit, giving Joby exclusive rights to operate air taxis in the emirate for six years from the start of commercial service. Around its third-quarter results on November 4, 2026, Joby said the second vertiport in the Dubai network is complete and that piloted test flights across the vertiport network are planned for later this year. The GCAA certified the main vertiport at Dubai International Airport (DXB) in July 2026.

Joby's aircraft is a six-propeller electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft with tilting rotors, carrying one commercial pilot, up to four passengers and up to four carry-on bags. Joby quotes a top speed of about 200 mph (roughly 320 km/h), a range of up to 100 miles (about 160 km) per charge and cruise noise of 45 dBA measured from about 500 metres. The first network has four vertiports: DXB, Dubai Mall in Downtown, Atlantis The Royal on Palm Jumeirah, and the American University of Dubai, which is positioned to serve Dubai Marina and Dubai Internet City. Two of the four still need to be finished. Joby estimates the DXB-to-Palm Jumeirah route at about 10 minutes in the air versus roughly 45 minutes by car. In February 2026, Uber and Joby unveiled Uber Air powered by Joby, which lets riders book through the regular Uber app. Neither the RTA nor Joby has published a tariff; Uber has said the flight portion will cost about the same as an Uber Black ride, with exact fares to be released closer to launch.

The main remaining approval is Joby's Air Operator Certificate from the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), which permits commercial air transport in the UAE. Joby began the five-stage process in September 2024, covering operating manuals, inspections of UAE facilities and GCAA observation of pilot training, mechanic training and flight operations, with piloted flights between real vertiports to follow. Archer Aviation, by contrast, has built its UAE plan around Abu Dhabi with Abu Dhabi Aviation as operating partner. In May 2026, the GCAA moved Archer's Midnight aircraft into a Restricted Type Certificate programme designed to allow limited operations before full certification. Abu Dhabi has identified ten initial vertiport sites and Archer has announced a route between Abu Dhabi and Palm Jumeirah. Launch dates, routes, fares and flight rules are set by the RTA and the GCAA and may change.