Joby Aviation continues towards aircraft certification with series of demonstration flights in Osaka and California
October 8, 2025
Joby Aviation, the California-based developer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, is pressing ahead with the certification process for its prototype aircraft.
The company has recently carried out public demonstration flights both in the US as well as Japan to promote the clean, quiet, and sustainable attributes of its development aircraft to attract public buy-in to the concept of eVTOL aviation.
Joby’s aircraft is designed to carry a pilot and up to four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph (320 km/h). With Joby’s eVTOL aircraft already well down the path toward certification, the company has recognised that getting the public on side is as important as the aircraft being certified to fly them.
To that end, Joby has been exposing its development aircraft to as many people as it can through appearances at key events where the aircraft’s abilities can be showcased to as wide an audience as possible.
Joby Aviation flies at Expo 2025, Osaka
At the end of September, the organisation partnered with Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) and completed a series of public demonstration flights at the Expo 2025 event being held in Osaka, Japan.
The flights, which the company claims were the first of its kind at a world expo, included vertical take-off, full transition to wingborne flight, and vertical landing at the Expo’s purpose-built vertiport.
The demonstration aircraft involved, registered as N542JX, wore a specially applied ANA livery for the flights, highlighting the partnership between the two companies. The show itself is estimated to attract up to 200,000 visitors per day and lasts until 13 October, having started back in April.
The flights, conducted in front of hundreds of members of the public attending the Expo, were conducted as part of Joby and ANA’s plan to build a national air taxi ecosystem in Japan.
History made in Japan! 🇯🇵 With our partner @FlyANA_official, we kicked off the next phase of Japan's air taxi future with public flight demos at @expo2025japan. https://t.co/HAK5OVAPis (1/5) pic.twitter.com/772nqsQvKb
— Joby Aviation (@jobyaviation) September 30, 2025
Between 30 September and 12 October, Joby plans to conduct a series of 20 demonstration flights at the event, all of which count towards the eventual certification of the aircraft.
According to Joby, the flights marked “a key step in gaining public acceptance of air taxis and provided valuable data on airspace integration, which will be used in collaboration with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) for development of regulatory pathways for advanced air mobility in the region.”
“Japan has led the world in transforming ground transportation with its world-class automotive industry and iconic bullet trains. Now, Japan is poised to lead the world again, this time in the air,” said JoeBen Bevirt, CEO and founder of Joby.
“With these flights and our world-class partners, we’re now positioned to lean in on the important work of engaging communities, collaborating with regulators, and bringing on more partners to make our dream a reality.”
“Joby’s air taxi demonstration flight at the Expo represents a significant step toward bringing our air taxi service to life in Japan,” said Koji Shibata, President and CEO of ANA.
“With the support of national and local government officials, as well as private-sector partners helping us build this future together, we intend to create the wings for a new era of air mobility.”
Away from the Expo itself, the two partners are progressing toward the development of a national air taxi ecosystem in Japan. This calls for the phased rollout beginning in the capital city, Tokyo.
The development will include a network of vertiports, pilot training programs, and aircraft maintenance support.
JOBY AND ANA HOLDINGS ADVANCE AIR TAXI DEVELOPMENT IN JAPAN WITH PUBLIC FLIGHT DEMONSTRATION AT EXPO 2025 OSAKA
— AvGeek Philippines (AvGeekPH) (@avgeekph) October 2, 2025
DETAILS via https://t.co/DKd62MqYU4#AvGeekPH #JobyAviation #FlyANA #eVTOL #ExperimentalAircraft pic.twitter.com/qOaJPMIkba
The companies are also engaging with partners across real estate, manufacturing, and local governments. The partner state that these flight demonstrations advance those efforts and lay the groundwork for the next phase of deployment.
Joby already has strong connections to Japan, with Toyota being a key investor in the US company.
Flights at the California International Air Show
More recently, Joby Aviation demonstrated its all-electric aircraft at the California International Air Show held in Salinas, California, with another of the company’s experimental aircraft, N545JX.
From Friday, 3 October to Sunday, 5 October, Joby completed three airshow demonstrations in front of a public audience, which included round-trip flights between Marina Airport (OAR) and Salinas Airport (SNS) – a distance of nine miles (14.4km).
Each flight lifted off vertically from Marina, transitioned to cruise for the short flight to Salinas, and then back to hover with a pilot onboard.
Audiences had the opportunity to see the aircraft perform a series of manoeuvres, from steep climbs to precise hovers, before it returned to Marina and landed vertically.
According to Joby, “These flights demonstrated the reliability of the aircraft and the maturity of its operational capabilities as it approaches FAA type inspection authorisation flight testing early next year.
Attendees also experienced the aircraft’s remarkable quietness, a key feature for urban operations where noise is a major concern, seeing it fly overhead, exploring it up close, and imagining a new era of quiet, clean, accessible flight.”
BREAKING: The Full @Salinas_Airshow Recap is LIVE!
— Joby Aviation (@jobyaviation) October 6, 2025
This weekend, our team showcased what the future of flight looks (and sounds!) like: quiet, clean, and electric.
Three round-trip flights with a pilot onboard — lifting off vertically in Marina, cruising to Salinas for the… pic.twitter.com/ViOGshj4Um
“We’ve had the privilege of flying in places like Japan and Dubai this year, but seeing our aircraft fly at home on the Central Coast and sharing it with our neighbours was truly special,” said CEO Bevirt.
“I’m deeply grateful to our team and to everyone who came out to see us. Experiencing the aircraft up close shows just how quiet it is, and that gives a real sense of the future of flight we’re building.”
Progressing fast towards certification
To date, Joby Aviation has completed over 40,00 miles (64,000km) of urban air mobility demonstrations, displaying characteristics of the aircraft’s abilities that will mirror future air taxi operations in the real world.
So far, the company has demonstrated its eVTOL aircraft in Japan, Dubai, South Korea, New York City, and now in its own backyard in Salinas, California.
The Company will continue its programme of public demonstration flights at the Dubai Airshow, which is being held in the UAE from 17 to 21 November 2025.
Joby Aviation expects to achieve full FAA type certification and begin commercial operations sometime in 2026. The company’s plans call for FAA test pilots to begin flight testing the conforming aircraft in early 2026.
