Joby Aviation, together with partner ANA Holdings, has been selected to operate what are being billed as demonstration flights during Expo 2025, which is scheduled to take place in Osaka, Kansai, from April to October of 2025. The flights will operate between the Expo site and “at least one other location in Osaka”, say the partners, although the location of the other site(s) is yet to be announced.
While the announcement makes much of the “introduction of this new form of transportation”, it is not clear if passengers are expected to be carried during the demonstrations. Perhaps unsurprisingly, while Joby has begun the certification in Japan, the process is necessarily an arduous one, and the April 2025 target may yet prove ambitious.
Nevertheless, Joby Aviation’s Founder and CEO, JoeBen Bevirt, remains typically upbeat, commenting: “This is a truly unique opportunity to introduce our aircraft to the world, and we’re proud to be working alongside ANAHD to demonstrate what this technology can deliver. The World Expo has long been the home of radical transportation innovation, and we’re pleased to be playing a leading role in continuing that trend.”
