Joby Aviation performed a flight demonstration in Japan on November 2, 2024. This was the first flight of its eVTOL aircraft outside of the US.
Images and footage shared by the Californian startup show Joby’s eVTOL in the air with Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji in the background.
This flight display took place just days after Toyota Motor Corporation announced that its venture capital arm was investing an $500 million in Joby, bringing its total capital commitment to the eVTOL startup to over $894 million.
Joby’s eVTOL aircraft took off from Toyota Technical Center in Higashi-Fuji, with the Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, Akio Toyoda, and several representatives of the Japanese aviation authorities in attendance.
One of the purposes of the flight was, reportedly, to showcase the low noise level of the Joby eVTOL while in flight, which is considerably lower than that of a conventional helicopter.
Japan is a strategic market for Joby, which has had a partnership with ANA Holdings, the partner company of All Nippon Airlines, for a number of years.
In fact, Joby is one of a handful of advanced air mobility developers which have been selected to operate a number of demonstration services at the upcoming Osaka Expo 2025, which will take place in Japan’s second largest city between April and October, 2025.