UAE aviation regulator visits Joby and Archer sites to advance air taxi certification

The aviation authority of the United Arab Emirates is continuing work on the conditions needed to operate electric air taxis. A delegation led by Aqeel Al Zarooni, the authority's deputy director general for flight safety, visited the California sites of manufacturers Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation.

In separate talks with the two companies, the focus was on certifying the aircraft and confirming their airworthiness, along with the operational requirements for commercial service. Technical workshops covered the current stage of development of each air taxi programme and the next steps.

The visits are part of ongoing cooperation between the GCAA and both manufacturers. The aim is to put in place the regulatory and technical conditions for safe air taxi operations in the United Arab Emirates. No specific dates for the start of operations were mentioned.