Inaugural international flight for Joby in Japan
November 4, 2024
Joby Aviation has made its first ever international flight, with an uncrewed excursion in Japan celebrating nearly seven years of collaboration between the eVTOL manufacturer and the Toyota Motor Corporation.
Taking off from the Toyota Technical Center in Higashi-Fuji, Joby was able to demonstrate the “low acoustic footprint” of its Toyota-branded aircraft, adding: “We’re incredibly grateful to be working side-by-side with the world’s largest automaker as we realise our shared vision for the future of mobility”.
Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevrit described the first overseas flight as “a significant milestone on [Joby’s] journey towards making clean air travel an everyday reality,” adding: “We share Toyota’s vision for the future of mobility and are honoured have had that opportunity to present a glimpse of that future through our flight in Japan”.
Toyota will be an instrumental ally in scaling commercial production of Joby’s aircraft, with Bevrit having previously cited the “knowledge and support shared by Toyota” as instrumental in the eVTOL manufacturer’s progress to date. An announcement last month will also see Toyota invest an additional $500 million into Joby Aviation via two equal stock purchases, with the second tranche supporting what Joby calls “a strategic alliance focused on commercial manufacturing”.
In 2023, Toyota also announced it was to supply key powertrain and actuation components for Joby’s production aircraft – supporting a total financial investment of $894 million to date.
Joby is set to continue its flight demonstrations in Japan (in partnership with ANA Holdings) at the upcoming 2025 Osaka World Expo, albeit not as a commercial service, reported Japan’s Kyodo News.
