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Joby Aviation<\/a> is partnering with Virgin Atlantic to launch electric air taxis in the U.K., marking the seventh country in which the startup hopes to one day commercialize.<\/p>\n Joby, which went public in 2021<\/a> via special purpose acquisition merger, did not provide a timeline for when it plans to launch its partnership with Virgin in the U.K. A spokesperson for the company told TechCrunch it would come sometime after Joby launches in the UAE and the U.S.<\/p>\n Joby hopes to begin market testing in Dubai late this year or early next after delivering its first eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft to the country. The startup had also planned to launch a commercial service in the U.S., either in New York or Los Angeles, in 2025, but that timeline may get pushed out as Joby works to get the necessary certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n In October 2024, Joby said<\/a> it was close to receiving type certification \u2014 which signifies the approval of the vehicle\u2019s design \u2014\u00a0 but a spokesperson today couldn\u2019t provide an updated timeline.<\/p>\n Joby will need to get its own certifications from the U.K. before it launches there, as well. The company applied to have its aircraft validated for use by the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority in July 2022.<\/p>\n Joby\u2019s tie-up with Virgin comes nearly seven months after TechCrunch first reported that the two companies had plans to work together \u2014 news we came by via one of our \u201clittle birds.<\/a>\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Per the deal, Joby will be Virgin\u2019s exclusive airline distribution partner in the U.K. The California-based company also has a mutually exclusive deal<\/a> with one other airline, Delta, in the U.S. and U.K., but the Virgin partnership falls under that existing deal because Delta owns roughly half of Virgin.\u00a0<\/p>\n Joby\u2019s deal with Delta promises to allow customers to access a premium service that shuttles them from local vertiports directly to the airport. (Vertiports are infrastructure where eVTOLs takeoff, land, and charge.) The Virgin partnership promises a similar network of landing sites across the U.K., but it will start by connecting passengers from the airline\u2019s hubs at London\u2019s Heathrow and Manchester Airport.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the companies, Virgin customers will be able to reserve a seat on Joby\u2019s aircraft in the future through the Virgin Atlantic app and website.\u00a0<\/p>\n Partnering with airlines is one of the main ways eVTOL companies are planning to go-to-market. Joby\u2019s main rival, Archer Aviation, has made similar deals with United<\/a> and Southwest<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n