Joby Aviation announced on Wednesday that flight testing has begun for its first production model electric air taxi. The aircraft will undergo certification testing by U.S. federal regulators to obtain a Type Inspection Authorization (TIA), a significant milestone toward achieving commercial operation certification.

The company stated that pilots have initiated preliminary testing of the air taxi at its facility in Marina, California. This test flight phase precedes an evaluation by Federal Aviation Administration pilots scheduled for later this year.

Joby Aviation has collaborated with regulators for several years to gain approval for the design, plans, and components used in manufacturing the aircraft. This model represents the company's first production-intent aircraft. Joby's test pilots have already accumulated over 50,000 miles (approximately 80,500 kilometers) of flight time on the company's developmental aircraft.

Joby's air taxi is a six-rotor electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. It can take off and land vertically like a helicopter and cruise horizontally like a conventional airplane. The cabin is designed to accommodate one pilot and four passengers. The company plans to commence operations in Dubai later this year, where two of the planned four vertiports are already under construction, as announced in February.

This year, the company will also initiate limited operations in the United States. This effort is part of a White House-supported initiative aimed at accelerating the integration of electric air taxis and other small aircraft into the national airspace. Joby is one of five participants in a program involving eight pilot projects announced by the FAA on Monday; the FAA is overseeing this initiative.

Joby Aviation plans to achieve a production rate of four aircraft per month by 2027. Its production facilities are located in California and Dayton, Ohio.