Joby becomes first company to fly in Korea’s K-UAM Grand Challenge

Joby Aviation, a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, has successfully completed a series of flight tests in Korea as part of the K-UAM Grand Challenge.

Joby is the first electric air taxi company to complete flights as part of the program, which was launched in 2023 by Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (“MOLIT”) to support the commercialization of air taxis in the Korean market.

Over the course of a week, Joby successfully completed a range of missions demonstrating various flight profiles and conditions, including fully wing-borne flight. Joby also demonstrated its capability to collaborate on aircraft operations with potential Korean partners ahead of future commercialization in the country.

Joby’s electric air taxi was the first to perform demonstration flights in Goheung, Korea, as part of the nation’s K-UAM Grand Challenge designed to support the commercialization of air taxis in Korea | All photos courtesy Joby Aviation

“Completing our first flights in Korea marks a significant milestone towards launching operations in the Korean market, where our service has incredible potential to save people time and improve connectivity in densely populated cities like Seoul and more remote areas like Jeju Province, where natural barriers complicate ground transportation,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby.

Joby is participating in the Grand Challenge as part of the “K-UAM Dream Team,” a consortium that includes SK Telecom, Hanwha Systems, TMAP and Korea Airports Corporation, which operates the vast majority of airports in Korea.

Hyung Pil Jun, Assistant Minister of Mobility and Motor Vehicles Bureau for the Korean government, commented: “Through the Grand Challenge, Joby Aviation, along with the K-UAM Dream Team including SKT, is showcasing the next generation of world-leading aviation capabilities by combining their world-class eVTOL aircraft with the Korean industry's technology on flight control, traffic management, and vertiport operations.”

The flights, completed at the Goheung Aviation Test Center in South Jeolla Province, will culminate with a celebratory event on December 14th, hosted by MOLIT, during which the quiet acoustic footprint of Joby’s aircraft will be demonstrated in front of more than 200 guests, including representatives from Korean and US government agencies.

Joby continues to lead the air taxi industry towards certification of its electric air taxi with the US FAA and recently rolled its fourth production prototype aircraft off the Company’s manufacturing line in Marina, California. Korea is the third country in which Joby has received an airworthiness certification for demonstration and flight testing, following similar approvals in the United States and Japan.

The Joby electric air taxi is designed to carry a pilot and up to four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph, offering high-speed mobility with a fraction of the noise produced by helicopters and zero operating emissions.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 19th December 2024 | Issue #777