Joby Aviation's advancement toward completing its Federal Aviation Administration Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate represents one of the most consequential regulatory milestones in the emerging advanced air mobility sector. Part 135 governs on-demand and commuter air carrier operations in the United States, and achieving this certification would authorize Joby to conduct revenue-generating passenger flights with its five-seat, all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The company has been pursuing parallel certification tracks simultaneously — working toward both a type certificate for its aircraft design and the operational certificate required to run a commercial air service — a dual-track approach that reflects the unprecedented regulatory complexity of bringing an entirely new aircraft category into the national airspace.
The significance of Part 135 certification extends well beyond Joby's business timeline. The FAA's five-phase process for issuing an air carrier certificate requires applicants to demonstrate rigorous compliance across operations specifications, maintenance programs, training curricula, and safety management systems. For an eVTOL operator, many of these requirements have no direct precedent, forcing both Joby and the FAA to develop new standards, acceptable means of compliance, and operational limitations essentially from scratch. The fact that Joby is reportedly nearing completion of this process signals that the regulatory pathway for electric air taxi operations is becoming concrete rather than theoretical, which will materially accelerate how competitors and investors assess the commercial viability of the entire AAM sector.
For working pilots, this development carries direct professional implications. Joby's operational model calls for a single certificated pilot at the controls for commercial revenue flights, meaning pilot hiring, training, qualification standards, and type-rating requirements will need to be formally defined and approved as part of the Part 135 framework. How the FAA ultimately structures pilot qualification for eVTOL aircraft — whether through a new aircraft category, a special class rating, or an adaptation of existing rotorcraft or powered-lift standards — will set binding precedent for every other eVTOL operator pursuing commercial certification. Pilots operating in the Part 135 on-demand charter environment should track these developments closely, as competitive pressure from urban air mobility could reshape short-haul air taxi economics in markets where helicopter operators currently dominate.
The broader context positions Joby at the leading edge of a sector-wide regulatory maturation. Archer Aviation, Lilium's successor entities, Wisk, and Overair have all been engaged in various stages of FAA certification, but Joby has consistently maintained one of the most advanced positions in both type certification and operational approval. Joby's partnership with Delta Air Lines adds a major scheduled carrier's infrastructure and distribution network behind the air taxi model, a combination that gives the company unusual credibility with regulators and potential passengers alike. For corporate flight departments and Part 91 operators evaluating future last-mile transportation solutions for executive travel, Joby's regulatory progress is the clearest signal yet that commercial eVTOL service in major U.S. metropolitan areas is no longer a speculative future state but an emerging operational reality that merits inclusion in near-term fleet and mobility planning discussions.