Joby Aviation partners with Abu Dhabi to establish electric air taxi ecosystem

Joby Aviation announced it has signed a multilateral Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Municipalities and Transport – Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development and the Department of Culture and Tourism – 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 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, Joby said. The agreement also unlocks the potential for inter-emirate air taxi services, for example between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO, Joby Aviation, said: “Today’s agreement demonstrates the incredible momentum behind the adoption of clean flight across the UAE. We’re looking forward to delivering a fantastic experience for our future customers in Abu Dhabi and we’re excited to be unlocking the potential for zero-emissions flight between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We’re grateful for the support and collaboration of our governmental partners and the entire ecosystem in Abu Dhabi and we remain deeply impressed by their commitment to building out a world-class aviation ecosystem in the Emirate.”