Joby Aviation has completed a series of demonstration flights across the San Francisco Bay Area, showcasing its electric air taxi in one of the nation’s most congested cities.
The company announced in a news release Friday that its aircraft (N545JX) departed from Oakland International Airport, flew across the Bay toward the Golden Gate Bridge, and turned above the Marin Headlands.
The piloted flight marks the beginning of Joby’s “2026 Electric Skies Tour,” a national showcase celebrating the United States’ 250th anniversary. Joby Aviation aims to highlight a solution to urban traffic congestion; San Francisco drivers lost an average of 112 hours to traffic in 2025.
“Our technology provides an opportunity to build on the immense potential of this region while protecting it for the next generation,” said Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt, in the release.
Electric progress
This event builds on previous operational milestones. In August 2025, Joby completed the first piloted electric air taxi flight between two public airports: Marina Municipal and Monterey Regional. The test was aimed to demonstrate its ability to integrate into FAA-managed airspace and sequence with conventional aircraft.
To prepare for commercial service, Joby has taken delivery of its first next-generation CAE flight simulator at its pilot training and manufacturing facility in Marina, California. A second, full-motion simulator is expected later this year, and together the devices are expected to support training for up to 250 pilots annually.
In addition to its commercial passenger efforts, Joby has worked with the U.S. Air Force. Partnering with AFWERX in September 2025, the company demonstrated its fully autonomous flight capabilities with a modified Cessna 208B Grand Caravan in Hawaii.
The partnership served as a test case for the Department of the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment concept for distributed logistics.
This is nice new technology. But please don’t think the dozens of flights it can make, given airspace considerations, will make any dent in San Francisco area traffic. It’s a work-around for wealthy people. That’s okay, but it’s not a widespread benefit.