Joby brings eVTOL air taxi to Florida

Joby Aviation has begun a week of piloted electric air taxi flights across Florida, flying between Tampa, Orlando and the Space Coast as part of plans to develop the state’s Aerial Highway Network.

The flights will include demonstrations at Orlando International Airport and Kennedy Space Center, marking Florida’s first operations under the White House-backed eIPP (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program), announced by the US Department of Transportation in March 2026.

The programme brings government and industry together to accelerate the safe integration of electric air taxis into US airspace.

The campaign began with a flight across Tampa Bay, retracing the route of the world’s first scheduled commercial airline service on January 1, 1914. Aviation pioneer Tony Jannus flew former St. Petersburg Mayor Abe Pheil from downtown St. Petersburg to Tampa, a journey Joby is repeating more than a century later.

The flight, from Albert Whitted Airport to Tampa International Airport, was scheduled for October 30, with members of the public invited to watch from Albert Whitted Park.

Joby’s vertical lift electric air taxi flies over Tampa, Florida, on Thursday, Oct. 29, ahead of the state’s first eIPP flights | Photo: Joby Aviation.

Florida has been preparing for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations since 2021, when the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) began statewide planning. In April 2026, Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1093, allowing FDOT to fund vertiport infrastructure across the state.

FDOT is also developing SunTrax Air, an AAM test campus off Interstate 4 featuring the country's first dedicated AAM aerial test track. Testing is expected to begin by the end of 2026.

The Florida project was one of eight selected nationwide under the eIPP programme. Its three planned phases will cover passenger transportation, cargo delivery, automation and medical response, involving multiple industry partners.

Joby's flight programme includes three locations:

• Tampa Bay: A point-to-point demonstration between Albert Whitted Airport and Tampa International Airport.

• Orlando: Flights at Orlando International Airport, including a landing near Terminal C and the train station at a new vertiport. Routes and operating procedures have been developed through two years of simulations involving the FAA, NASA, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority and local air traffic controllers.

• Kennedy Space Center: A demonstration at the Shuttle Landing Facility during the UP.Summit, bringing the aircraft to the home of American spaceflight.

Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said the flights would give Floridians an opportunity to see how electric aircraft could connect cities and communities.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the programme would provide operational data to help establish safety standards for routine operations, while FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue highlighted the state's investment in infrastructure and planning to support the introduction of AAM.

Joby's existing Florida operations include Blade, its wholly owned subsidiary, which has carried passengers between the New York area and South Florida since 2015. Blade is also due to relaunch its BLADEone jet service to Miami and Palm Beach in November, in partnership with private jet operator Aero.

This provides Joby with an established customer base and operating experience in the state ahead of its planned electric air taxi service.

Florida is the final destination of Joby's 2026 Electric Skies Tour, marking the United States' 250th anniversary. Previous demonstrations have taken place in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York and Dallas-Fort Worth.

The eIPP flights will provide the FAA and state partners with further operational data on airport integration, aircraft acoustics and vertiport procedures as Joby progresses through the final stages of FAA type certification ahead of commercial service.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 5th November 2026 | Issue #865