Joby Aviation logo

Joby Aviation

PublicNYSE: JOBYFounded 2009🇺🇸Santa Cruz, CaliforniaCEO JoeBen Bevirt

Joby Aviation is a Santa Cruz company developing a piloted all-electric S4 air taxi, now in FAA Stage 5 (TIA). Independent reporting says the Sept 10-14 Dallas-Fort Worth eIPP week flew AFW, DFW Corporate Aviation, Arlington and Toyota Plano as piloted, no-passenger demonstrations.

Latest update Oct 5, 2026

Disclosed funding
$4.9B5 rounds
Employees
2,559

01

Overview

The Q2 letter still targets first passengers in 2026 without specifying paying U.S. service by year-end. The Toyota exclusive manufacturing supply agreement and second $250 million tranche remain unsigned. The J208 autonomy tour finished its eastbound Concord-to-Dare County leg on Sept 18 and the Electric Skies page now features Oklahoma City on Sept 29. The stock closed at $5.99 on September 29, 2026 (market cap about $5.92 billion).

businessairnews.comUpdated Sep 30, 2026

Analysis · 5 min read · Jun 23, 2026The long view on Joby Aviation: strategy, technology and what to watch

02

What's next8

  1. 2026

    Carry first U.S. eIPP passengers (not specified as paying)

  2. Late 2026

    Complete FAA Stage 5 (TIA) and receive U.S. type certificate

    Joby is in Stage 5 - the final FAA certification gate. As of the July 31, 2026 shareholder letter, Stage 5 Show & Verify stood at Joby 20% / FAA 10%. Five conforming aircraft are now flying and 12 more are in production, with at least two more expected off the line in the second half of 2026, validating range, speed, and energy management under operational conditions ahead of FAA-pilot 'for credit' TIA inspection flights at Joby's Marina, California facility. Analysts still expect the U.S. type certificate by late 2026, which would be the first ever granted to a commercial eVTOL in U.S. history. As of September 9, 2026, that 'for-credit' testing had still not been reported as complete, and Joby holds a narrow lead over rival Archer Aviation in the certification race.

  3. Oct 2026

    Complete the J208 10-state supervised-autonomy tour

    Joby's converted Cessna 208B J208 completed the eastbound transcontinental leg on September 18, 2026, a 3,199-mile flight from Concord, California to Dare County, North Carolina with zero onboard safety-pilot inputs. The westbound return is still ahead: Raleigh, Fredericksburg/Washington (KRMN), Louisville, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City and Portland. Watch whether those stops run as supervised operations with a remote Pilot in Command and generate usable airspace-integration data for freight, medical transport, disaster response and defense logistics.

  4. Q4 2026

    Sign Toyota exclusive manufacturing supply agreement and close second $250M tranche

    Joby and Toyota's Delaware manufacturing joint venture, formed June 29, 2026, still needs an exclusive manufacturing supply agreement granting the JV exclusive rights to build the S4 - the companies have only agreed to negotiate one so far. Joby has said it expects to secure Toyota's next $250M investment tranche before the end of 2026, contingent on finalizing that supply agreement and hitting related regulatory milestones. Re-verified September 14, 2026: neither the exclusive MSA nor the second $250M tranche has been announced as signed.

  5. Year-end 2026

    Begin first passenger operations in UAE and U.S. eIPP markets

    TargetYear-end 2026 (paying passengers)

    Joby's Dubai vertiport network cleared a decisive hurdle on July 7, 2026 when the GCAA certified the flagship VDX vertiport at DXB - the world's first certified commercial eVTOL vertiport - with public service across the four-node network (VDX/DXB, American University of Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Mall) still directed to launch before the end of 2026, subject to Joby completing final GCAA operational certification. In the U.S., Joby said on September 10, 2026 that Texas kicked off its first White House-backed eIPP demonstration flights, a week-long Dallas-Fort Worth campaign through September 14 from the Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport hub, including planned routes into DFW Corporate Aviation, Arlington, and Toyota's Plano campus. Those flights are demonstrations, not paying passenger service. First paying U.S. passengers remain targeted before year-end under the program.

03

Latest news13

  1. Court trims Joby trade-secret suit and Archer counterclaims

    On Sept. 29, 2026 the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled on motions to dismiss in Joby Aero v. Archer Aviation, Case No. 5:25-cv-10703-SVK. Archer's Oct. 2 Form 8-K said the court dismissed certain trade-secret and contract claims against Archer and an employee, some with leave to amend, while other claims proceed. The court dismissed Archer's Lanham Act and California Unfair Competition Law counterclaims against Joby Aero and Joby Aviation without leave to amend.

    www.sec.gov www.reuters.com + Archer Aviation

  2. Joby flies first autonomous transcontinental US flight

    Joby Aviation said on September 18 that its autonomous J208, a converted Cessna Caravan, completed a 3,199-mile flight from Concord, California to Dare County Regional Airport in North Carolina's Outer Banks with zero control inputs from the onboard safety pilot. The aircraft taxied, took off, navigated and landed under remote supervision from Joby's California headquarters and Shaw Air Force Base, up to 2,323 miles away. The eastbound Electric Skies tour is done; the aircraft now turns west through Raleigh, Fredericksburg/Washington, Louisville, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City and Portland.

    Joby Aviation Joby IR

  3. Joby J208 starts 10-state autonomy tour

    Joby Aviation said on September 10, 2026 that its autonomous J208, a converted Cessna 208B Grand Caravan flying the Xwing autonomy stack, has begun a month-long coast-to-coast tour with stops across 10 states. The company said the aircraft has logged more than 400 flights and 800 automated hours and is demonstrating supervised autonomy for freight, medical transport, disaster response and defense logistics under the White House-backed eIPP. A remote pilot remains Pilot in Command, and a monitoring pilot is onboard for select operations.

    Joby Aviation

  4. Joby starts Texas eIPP demonstration flights

    Joby Aviation said on September 10, 2026 that Texas is kicking off its first White House-backed eVTOL Integration Pilot Program flights, with a week-long Dallas-Fort Worth campaign through September 14. Routes include Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, DFW Corporate Aviation, Arlington, and Toyota's Plano campus, from a new 45,000-square-foot AFW hub. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy both commented on the demonstrations. Paying passenger service is still targeted before year-end.

    Joby Aviation

  5. Joby Aviation to acquire defense firm Resonant Sciences

    Joby Aviation agreed on August 11, 2026 to acquire Resonant Sciences, a Dayton, Ohio-based defense technology company, for about $500 million in a mix of cash and stock. Resonant makes radomes, antennas, and stealth-testing products for active U.S. national security programs, employs about 250 people, and has grown revenue roughly 40% year over year to more than $100 million. The deal creates a dedicated Joby defense business alongside its air taxi program and is expected to close in the first half of 2027.

    Joby Aviation TechCrunch

04

Products1

05

Key metrics

Employees
2,559 (as of Jan. 31, 2026)
Est. annual revenue
Q2 2026: $38.6M revenue

(beat ~$31M estimate, Blade contributed $36.2M); Q1 2026: $24.2M; 2026 guidance raised to $115M-$125M (from $105M-$115M); 2025 actual: $53.4M. Still the latest reported quarter as of Sept. 14, 2026.

Flight-Test Miles
50,000+
Certification Progress
FAA Stage 5

(TIA) underway. As of the July 31, 2026 shareholder letter, Stage 5 Show & Verify stood at Joby 20% / FAA 10%. Fleet stands at five conforming aircraft flying and 12 more in production, with at least two more expected off the line in H2 2026. Joby established a hub at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport in early August 2026 and on September 10, 2026 said Texas kicked off the first White House-backed eIPP demonstration flights, a week-long Dallas-Fort Worth campaign through September 14. Dubai vertiport (VDX) GCAA-certified July 2026. No U.S. type certificate yet; Joby remains narrowly ahead of rival Archer Aviation in the FAA race.

Top Speed
200 mph (322 km/h)
Market Cap
~$6.32B

September 11, 2026 close; $6.39/share; 989.12M shares

Market Cap
$5.92B at $5.99/share

close Sept 29, 2026; 989.12M shares

Market Cap
$5.89B at $5.95/share

close Oct 2, 2026; 989.12M shares

06

Operations & revenue

Operating status

Commercial launch preparation - Stage 5 TIA underway

Joby remains in FAA Stage 5 (TIA) for the piloted S4. The July 31, 2026 shareholder letter is still the latest Stage 5 print (Show & Verify Joby 20% / FAA 10%); newsroom through Oct 2 has no for-credit TIA completion. The Toyota exclusive manufacturing supply agreement and second $250 million tranche remain unsigned (June 29 8-K still the latest). After Oklahoma City, UDOT confirmed the J208 was remotely operated in Utah on Sept 30 as the second-to-last Electric Skies stop. The tour page now features Portland autonomous demo flights October 2 in still-future-tense copy; this run found no independent confirmation that KPDX actually flew. Archer's Oct 2 8-K said a Sept 29 Northern District of California ruling let some of Joby Aero's claims proceed after dismissing others, and dismissed Archer's counterclaims without leave to amend. Market cap about $5.89B (Oct 2 close $5.95, 989.12M shares).

Revenue streams

  • Passenger Air Mobility Services

    Current passenger revenue comes from Blade's helicopter and charter network, which Joby acquired in 2025 (heliports served over 90,000 Blade passengers in 2025). Blade drove $36.2M of Joby's $38.6M Q2 2026 revenue, its best second quarter on record, with seats sold up more than 50% year over year - aircraft availability, not passenger demand, is now the binding constraint on many routes. Joby plans to use that operating base and customer demand to transition key corridors over time to its own all-electric aircraft.

  • Aircraft Sales and Partner Services

    Joby intends to both operate its own air taxi network and sell aircraft to other operators and partners, using airline partnerships to seed early markets and fold air-taxi booking into partner apps. Its July 2026 deal naming Virgin Atlantic as exclusive UK airline partner is the template: Joby keeps aircraft operations, route management, and regulatory approvals, while the airline partner handles infrastructure integration and customer acquisition.

  • U.S. Department of Defense Contracts

    Agility Prime work and newer hybrid-aircraft programs support defense, logistics, autonomy, and mission-demonstration use cases with U.S. government customers and partners such as L3Harris, leveraging the Xwing 'Superpilot' autonomy platform. The Joby/L3Harris turbine-electric autonomous VTOL demonstrator, announced August 2025, completed its first flight on November 7, 2025, and is slated for government-exercise demonstrations in 2026. Joby agreed on August 10-11, 2026 to acquire radio-frequency and mission-systems maker Resonant Sciences for about $500 million to scale this business into a dedicated defense unit, pending a close expected in the first half of 2027.

07

Timeline28

  1. 2026

    1. Electric Skies page features Portland October 2 stop

      Joby's Electric Skies tour page now leads with Hello, Oregon and autonomous demo flights October 2, saying the J208 makes its way to Portland via Idaho. The copy remains future-tense (headed your way). This run found no independent confirmation that Portland International (KPDX) demo flights actually flew.

    2. J208 westbound tour flies Salt Lake City

      On September 30, 2026 UDOT said it welcomed Joby as the company remotely operated its supervised autonomous J208, with Superpilot, in Utah on the Electric Skies tour. UDOT called Utah the second-to-last stop on a coast-to-coast journey covering a dozen cities and 5,541 nautical miles.

    3. Some Joby claims proceed after Archer MTD ruling

      On Sept. 29 the Northern District of California narrowed Joby Aero's trade-secret and contract claims against Archer and an employee while letting other claims proceed, and dismissed Archer's Lanham Act and UCL counterclaims without leave to amend, according to Archer's Oct. 2 8-K.

    4. J208 westbound tour features Oklahoma City

      Joby's Electric Skies tour page now features Oklahoma City autonomous J208 demo flights on September 29, 2026, at the FAA technical training hub. This is westbound progress after the September 18 eastbound Concord-to-Dare County arrival. The Sept 18 release listed remaining stops as Raleigh, Fredericksburg/Washington (KRMN), Louisville, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City and Portland. Intermediate landings between Raleigh and Oklahoma City are not independently confirmed as flown. J208 remains a converted Cessna 208B autonomy demonstrator, not S4 type certification.

    5. Completes Dallas-Fort Worth eIPP demonstration week

      Independent coverage dated September 14 says Joby's week-long Dallas-Fort Worth eIPP campaign ran September 10-14 and flew the planned legs: AFW kickoff with Beta, a round trip into DFW Corporate Aviation, a low-noise Arlington/Stockyards round trip, and the AFW-to-Toyota Plano corridor. Flights were piloted demonstrations with no passengers and generated no air-taxi revenue. Joby's own Sept 10 release listed those routes as the campaign schedule. This is S4 eIPP work, not the J208 autonomy tour, though J208 stopped at AFW on September 10.

    6. Issues 2.42M shares for Blade passenger EBITDA earnout

      Joby filed a prospectus supplement covering resale of 2,419,801 shares of common stock issued to the selling stockholder after the acquired Blade passenger operations (Strata Critical Medical, Inc., f/k/a Blade Air Mobility, Inc., and related entities) achieved specified EBITDA milestones in the 12 months after closing. The issuance is incremental consideration on the 2025 Blade passenger-business acquisition, not a new cash raise.

    7. J208 completes first fully autonomous transcontinental US flight

      On September 18, 2026 Joby said its autonomous J208, a converted Cessna Caravan flying the Xwing stack, completed a 3,199-mile flight from Buchanan Field in Concord, California to Dare County Regional Airport in North Carolina's Outer Banks with zero control inputs from the onboard safety pilot, including autonomous taxi, takeoff, cruise and landing. Remote supervision came from Joby's Autonomy Headquarters in California and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, up to 2,323 miles away. Eastbound stops included Phoenix Deer Valley, Fort Worth Alliance, Shaw AFB and the Outer Banks, with a low pass near the First Flight Monument at Kitty Hawk. The aircraft now begins the westbound tour through Raleigh, Fredericksburg/Washington, Louisville, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City and Portland.

    8. J208 autonomous Caravan begins 10-state cross-country tour

      On September 10, 2026 Joby said its autonomous J208, a converted Cessna 208B Grand Caravan flying the Xwing autonomy stack acquired in 2024, had begun a month-long coast-to-coast tour with stops across 10 states as part of the 2026 Electric Skies tour and eIPP. Joby said the aircraft has accumulated more than 400 flights and 800 automated hours under a supervised-autonomy model, with a ground-based remote pilot as Pilot in Command and a monitoring pilot onboard for select operations. Stops include Phoenix, Fort Worth Alliance, Shaw Air Force Base, the Outer Banks, Raleigh, Stafford/Washington, Louisville, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City and Portland, aimed at freight, medical transport, disaster response and defense logistics.

08

Funding

$4.9Bdisclosed across 5 rounds with a stated amount

Cumulative disclosed raise · dated rounds

$2B$4B$6B201620182020202220242026$4.9B raised
  1. Early Rounds (Series A–C)

    2016–2020

    $720M+

    Toyota, Intel Capital, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Capricorn Investment Group

  2. SPAC IPO (Reinvent Technology Partners)

    August 2021

    ~$1.6B

    Public offering (NYSE: JOBY), Toyota ($394M additional)

  3. Follow-on Investments

    2022–2024

    $500M+

    SK Telecom, Baillie Gifford, Delta Air Lines ($60M)

  4. Equity, Convertible Debt, and Delta Warrants

    Q1 2026 (January–March)

    ~$1.3B net proceeds

    Public equity offering, convertible senior notes, and Delta Air Lines warrant exercises

  5. At-The-Market (ATM) Equity Program

    August 11, 2026

    Up to $750M (undrawn shelf capacity; shares sold over time, not a lump-sum raise)

    Equity Distribution Agreement with Morgan Stanley & Co., J.P. Morgan Securities, Allen & Company, and BofA Securities as sales agents

  6. Blade passenger EBITDA earnout shares

    2026-09-10

    2,419,801 shares (no cash proceeds)

    Selling stockholder under the Blade/Strata Critical Medical passenger-business acquisition earnout

All eVTOL