Joby Aviation and Virgin Atlantic partner to launch electric air taxis in the UK | TechCrunch

Joby Aviation is partnering with Virgin Atlantic to launch electric air taxis in the U.K., marking the seventh country in which the startup hopes to one day commercialize.

Joby, which went public in 2021 via special purpose acquisition merger, did not provide a timeline for when it plans to launch its partnership with Virgin in the U.K. A spokesperson for the company told TechCrunch it would come sometime after Joby launches in the UAE and the U.S.

Joby hopes to begin market testing in Dubai late this year or early next after delivering its first eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft to the country. The startup had also planned to launch a commercial service in the U.S., either in New York or Los Angeles, in 2025, but that timeline may get pushed out as Joby works to get the necessary certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration. 

In October 2024, Joby said it was close to receiving type certification — which signifies the approval of the vehicle’s design —  but a spokesperson today couldn’t provide an updated timeline.

Joby will need to get its own certifications from the U.K. before it launches there, as well. The company applied to have its aircraft validated for use by the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority in July 2022.

Joby’s tie-up with Virgin comes nearly seven months after TechCrunch first reported that the two companies had plans to work together — news we came by via one of our “little birds.” 

Per the deal, Joby will be Virgin’s exclusive airline distribution partner in the U.K. The California-based company also has a mutually exclusive deal with one other airline, Delta, in the U.S. and U.K., but the Virgin partnership falls under that existing deal because Delta owns roughly half of Virgin. 

Joby’s deal with Delta promises to allow customers to access a premium service that shuttles them from local vertiports directly to the airport. (Vertiports are infrastructure where eVTOLs takeoff, land, and charge.) The Virgin partnership promises a similar network of landing sites across the U.K., but it will start by connecting passengers from the airline’s hubs at London’s Heathrow and Manchester Airport. 

According to the companies, Virgin customers will be able to reserve a seat on Joby’s aircraft in the future through the Virgin Atlantic app and website. 

Partnering with airlines is one of the main ways eVTOL companies are planning to go-to-market. Joby’s main rival, Archer Aviation, has made similar deals with United and Southwest. 

Many of those deals have included investment from the airlines. Delta, for example, has invested $60 million into Joby already, with the option to invest up to $200 million more if Joby delivers on its promises. An investment is not part of Joby’s deal with Virgin, according to a Joby spokesperson. 

In a statement, Virgin said it would support Joby’s go-to-market efforts in the U.K. by marketing the service to customers, working with regulators, and helping to “build support for the development of landing infrastructure at key airports.” 

Joby’s eVTOL is designed to carry a pilot, four passengers, and some luggage. It promises to fly at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, making a flight from Leeds to Manchester a 15-minute journey. 

The startup is a long way from large scale deployments, but Joby has stated its intentions to launch an air taxi service in the U.S., the U.K., the UAE, South Korea, Japan, India, and Australia.