en.Wedoany.com Reported - Joby Aviation has signed a formal agreement with Virgin Atlantic to introduce electric air taxi services in the United Kingdom. The multi-year agreement, signed at the Farnborough International Airshow, converts the partnership announced in 2025 into a binding commercial framework, designating Virgin Atlantic as Joby's exclusive airline partner for air taxi services in the UK.
The collaboration builds on Joby's existing exclusive arrangement with Delta Air Lines, which holds a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic. In 2022, Joby and Delta announced a multi-city partnership covering both the US and UK, and this agreement with Virgin Atlantic complements and expands that collaboration. Under the agreement, Virgin Atlantic will offer Joby's air taxi services through its booking platform, enabling travelers to seamlessly connect air taxi trips when booking long-haul flights.
Joby plans to launch services at Virgin Atlantic's hubs at London Heathrow Airport and Manchester Airport. Early routes are expected to include approximately 15 minutes from Manchester Airport to Leeds, and as fast as 8 minutes from Heathrow to central London. Joby will be responsible for aircraft operations, route management, and securing regulatory approvals from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, while Virgin Atlantic will support infrastructure integration and customer acquisition.
Joby's aircraft features six tilting propellers, enabling vertical takeoff and landing with noise levels just a fraction of those of helicopters, and is expected to be deployed on routes up to 100 miles (approximately 160 kilometers). The company has completed thousands of test flights, including demonstrations in San Francisco and New York City, and has achieved point-to-point flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Manhattan. Aircraft certification is progressing under the bilateral agreement between the US Federal Aviation Administration and the UK Civil Aviation Authority, with the certification application submitted in 2022.
