Joby Aviation and the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have set out plans for the rapid deployment of Joby’s electric air taxi in the Kingdom, following the signing of a new MoU. The agreement uses Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification standards as a foundation for developing a streamlined approval process for Joby’s aircraft, positioning Saudi Arabia at the forefront of advanced air mobility (AAM). The Kingdom now joins the US, the UK, Japan, South Korea and the UAE as another early market for Joby's air taxi service.

The agreement builds on Abdul Latif Jameel’s earlier investment in Joby’s Series C funding round, led by Toyota in 2020, and reflects Saudi Arabia’s broader Vision 2030 push toward clean, high-tech mobility.

“We’ve been collaborating with the FAA since 2016 on the certification and the commercial operations of our aircraft, and we’re now putting those standards to work on a global scale,” says JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby. “We look forward to partnering with GACA on this bold endeavour to bring quiet, fast and convenient air mobility to Saudi Arabia.”

“This partnership represents a critical step in advancing the Kingdom’s AAM ambitions,” adds Captain Sulaiman bin Saleh Al-Muhaimedi, executive vice president of aviation safety and environmental sustainability at GACA. “Our focus is not only on bringing future technologies to Saudi Arabia, but on building the knowledge and know-how required to sustain them. By localising key elements of manufacturing and developing highly qualified national talent, we are creating an ecosystem that enables innovation to thrive. Supported by a robust and forward-looking regulatory framework, this initiative reinforces the Kingdom’s leadership in shaping the future of aviation, in alignment with the AAM roadmap derived from the Aviation Programme in the National Transport and Logistics Strategy.”

To support the development of the Kingdom’s regulatory framework for air taxi services, Joby and GACA will work on three core initiatives based on Joby’s FAA certification programme. The first is providing technical expertise across type design, production and operational domains to help shape a comprehensive regulatory framework that supports the safe, efficient and scalable deployment of AAM aircraft. The second is collaboration on airworthiness standards to ensure an efficient validation process for the FAA type certification, while the third focuses on developing and harmonising key regulations needed for the initial phase of operations, including pilot licensing, maintenance requirements and airspace integration.

Joby is progressing toward regulatory approval of its aircraft in the US, with the company nearing the final phase of FAA type certification, during which FAA test pilots will directly assess the aircraft’s performance and safety. Internationally, Joby was closely involved in the development of the NAA Network’s five-nation roadmap, which aims to support global AAM certification standards.

In Saudi Arabia, Joby’s broader commercialisation strategy includes partnerships with Abdul Latif Jameel, which is exploring the delivery of up to 200 Joby aircraft valued at approximately $1 billion, and Aloula Aviation (formerly Mukamalah Aviation), the aviation subsidiary of Saudi Aramco. Initial efforts will focus on Saudi Arabia, where Abdul Latif Jameel has strong regional experience, and both parties will assess options for distribution, air taxi service launches and support functions such as maintenance and pilot training.

The partnership follows the renewed economic partnership between the US administration and the Saudi government after the visit of US President Trump to the Kingdom in May of this year.