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US eVTOL manufacturer Joby Aviation will partner with Aramco subsidiary Mukamalah Aviation to deploy eVTOLs in Saudi Arabia, according to a statement. Joby Aviation is backed by Jameel Investment Management Company, the investment arm of Saudi Arabia’s Abdul Latif Jameel.
What we know: Under the agreement Mukamalah and Joly will work with Saudi’s General Authority of Civil Aviation to speed up Joby’s entry into the domestic and line up direct eVTOL sales to Mukamalah. The number of eVTOLs to be sold or investment ticket of the agreement was not disclosed.
What are they buying? Joby’s commercial passenger electric vehicle is designed to carry a pilot and up to four passengers at speeds of up to 321 km per hour.
It’s not KSA’s first eVTOL partnership: Neom and German flying taxi maker Volocopter successfully tested the kingdom’s first electric air taxi last year. Brazilian eVTOL company Eve Air Mobility also signed an MoU in December with Saudi Arabia’s air carrier and the leading low-cost airline Flynas to explore operating eVTOLs in the kingdom. The agreement will see them explore deploying eVTOLS in Riyadh and Jeddah in 2026.
Joby is already active in UAE: The eVTOL outfit is taking part in Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicles Industry (SAVI) cluster and inked an MoU with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport to lay the groundwork for it to introduce inter-emirate electric air tax services as early as 2025 last month. Joby’s S4 models will also be used in Dubai as electric air taxis by 2026.
About Mukamalah: Mukamalah Aviation Company was the first aviation company established in Saudi Arabia and the second in the Middle East, according to its website. The company operates 48 aircrafts from different fleets all serving different purposes It also fully manages and operates nine airports in KSA.
IN OTHER KSA EVTOL NEWS-
Eve + Saudia Technic partner on eVTOL MRO training: Urban air mobility company Eve Air Mobility — a subsidiary of Brazilian aerospace company Embraer — signed an MoU with Saudi aviation services provider Saudia Technic to explore potential demand of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) activities for eVTOLs in the kingdom, according to a statement. The agreement will focus on developing a training program for eVTOL MRO technicians and evaluating the infrastructure and processes required to reassemble Eve’s eVTOLs in Saudi.
