Joby Begins Piloted eVTOL Demonstration Flights Across Florida Under FAA eIPP Program
Why It MattersOperating inside live airport airspace with the FAA, NASA and local controllers shows eVTOL integration moving from simulation toward real-world procedure, though routine passenger service still depends on certification and infrastructure.
Joby Aviation has launched a week-long series of piloted electric air taxi flights across Florida, demonstrating its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Tampa Bay, Orlando and the Space Coast. The flights are part of the White House-backed eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), which aims to accelerate the safe introduction of electric aircraft into the National Airspace System, and will help evaluate the first phase of Florida's proposed Aerial Highway Network. Joby says the campaign represents Florida's first flights under the federal eIPP initiative, and Florida's eIPP project was one of eight selected nationwide.
In Tampa Bay, the aircraft is scheduled to depart Albert Whitted Airport in downtown St. Petersburg and fly to Tampa International Airport on October 30, retracing the route of the world's first scheduled commercial airline flight, flown by Tony Jannus with former St. Petersburg Mayor Abe Pheil on January 1, 1914. The City of St. Petersburg organized a community event at Albert Whitted Park with a livestream of the demonstration. In Orlando, Joby plans to operate at Orlando International Airport, including a landing at a new vertiport near Terminal C and the airport's train station. The routes and procedures were developed through approximately two years of simulation work involving the Federal Aviation Administration, NASA, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority and Orlando air traffic controllers. A further flight is planned at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility during the UP. Summit; Kennedy Space Center is the final destination of Joby's 2026 Electric Skies Tour.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is developing the proposed Aerial Highway Network in three phases, with potential applications including passenger transportation, cargo delivery, automated aviation operations and medical response. FDOT began statewide advanced air mobility planning in 2021, and in April 2026 Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1093, allowing FDOT to fund vertiport infrastructure statewide. FDOT is also developing SunTrax Air, an advanced air mobility testing campus near Interstate 4. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said each flight provides data and lessons learned that will help establish safety standards for everyday operations, while Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said the company is working with FDOT to advance the state's plans for future electric air taxi services. The demonstrations will provide information about airport integration, vertiport procedures and aircraft acoustics.
Joby's subsidiary Blade has operated passenger services between the New York metropolitan area and South Florida since 2015, and Joby announced plans to relaunch Blade's BLADEone jet service to Miami and Palm Beach in November through a partnership with private aviation company Aero. Joby continues working through the final stages of FAA type certification for its aircraft. The demonstrations do not represent the start of routine commercial passenger service, and future operations remain subject to certification, regulatory and infrastructure requirements.
