Electric air taxis take step towards passenger reality after San Francisco Bay flight

A piloted electric aircraft has flown from Oakland International Airport across San Francisco Bay and around the Golden Gate Bridge in a public demonstration of how short urban air taxi journeys could soon operate in some of the world’s most congested cities

A passenger electric air taxi has completed a flight from Oakland International Airport across San Francisco Bay and around the Golden Gate Bridge, offering one of the clearest demonstrations yet of how short aerial journeys could operate above major U.S cities.

The aircraft departed Oakland, crossed the Bay towards the Golden Gate Bridge and turned above the Marin Headlands before returning, a route chosen to show how the aircraft could navigate one of America’s most congested urban regions.

The demonstration aircraft was built by California-based aviation developer Joby Aviation, which is seeking approval to launch an electric air taxi service designed for short urban and regional passenger journeys.

The aircraft is an all-electric vertical take-off and landing model intended to operate from small take-off sites rather than conventional airports, allowing passengers to travel between cities and suburbs in minutes rather than hours on congested roads.

San Francisco drivers lost an average of 112 hours to traffic in 2025, making the city the third most congested in the US and an obvious test case for air taxi operators promising to cut long urban journeys to minutes.

The San Francisco flight also marked the start of Joby’s 2026 Electric Skies Tour, a national series of demonstrations intended to show how the aircraft could operate in everyday transport networks.

The company said its fleet has now completed thousands of test flights and logged more than 50,000 miles.

The flight comes as the aircraft moves into the final stage of U.S regulatory approval required before it can begin carrying paying passengers. Federal Aviation Administration pilots are expected to begin formal “for credit” flight testing later this year.

“The Bay Area is home to the world’s most innovative companies, including Joby, but it’s also an area with significant traffic and unique geographical barriers,” JoeBen Bevirt, founder and chief executive of Joby, said.

He added: “Our technology provides an opportunity to build on the immense potential of this region while protecting it for the next generation. By providing clean, quiet service with minimal infrastructure investment we are making flight an everyday reality for the community.”

The company was recently selected for early operations under the White House-backed eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, which allows selected aircraft developers to begin limited operations across 10 US states including New York, Texas, Florida and California.

Joby is expanding manufacturing capacity ahead of a planned commercial launch. The company recently acquired a 700,000 sq ft facility in Dayton, Ohio and plans to increase production to four aircraft per month in 2027, with capacity over time for up to 500 aircraft a year.

READ MORE: ‘Revolutionary’ Virgin Atlantic air taxi to hit UK skies soon‘. A flying taxi that will ferry passengers between London’s Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf in just eight minutes is “on the horizon”.

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_{Main image: Joby Aviation}