Air Taxi Manufacturers Joby, Lilium Take More Baby Steps Toward Certification

Joby submitted its certification plans, while Lilium completed its final audit toward design organization approval.

Thursday, July 06, 2023 at 01:44 PM ET

Verified

Joby’s five-seat passenger eVTOL is expected to enter service in 2025, but first it needs to earn type certification. [Courtesy: Joby Aviation]

Key Takeaways:

Joby Aviation has submitted all its certification plans to the FAA, completing a major milestone in the third of five stages of the type certification process, and has begun flight testing its first production model.
Lilium has completed its final audit for Design Organization Approval (DOA) with EASA, moving closer to obtaining the critical "license to operate" for aircraft design and certification.
Both companies are making significant progress in the arduous eVTOL certification process with their respective regulatory bodies (FAA for Joby, EASA for Lilium).
Joby and Lilium are targeting commercial launches for their electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in 2025.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The certification process for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is long and arduous, with regulatory bodies like the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) prioritizing safety above all. But two leaders in the space continue to make progress.

Santa Cruz, California-based Joby Aviation on Thursday announced it has submitted all of its certification plans—detailing how the company will demonstrate compliance with safety regulations—to the FAA. On the same day, German rival Lilium revealed it completed its fourth and final design organization approval (DOA) audit with EASA. Both are eyeing commercial launches in 2025.