The FAA has granted a Part 141 flight school certificate to Joby Aviation, clearing the California-based manufacturer to begin training and certifying commercial pilots on conventional airplanes before launching electric air taxi services with its JAS4-1 eVTOL aircraft.

Announcing its Part 141 certification on December 3, Joby said the FAA had also awarded 14 CFR Part 5 approval for an air operations safety management system (SMS), which the company developed and implemented voluntarily. Earlier this year, the FAA ruled that all Part 135 operators must implement an SMS over the coming three years.

Having received a Part 135 air carrier certificate for its Joby Elevate operations segment in 2022, the company opted to get a head start on the FAA-mandated SMS, which involves the development of detailed safety policies and procedures. According to Joby, the air operations SMS is part of the company’s broader Enterprise SMS, which is still in development and will include safety protocols for manufacturing, maintenance, and training.

“We’re pleased to be ticking two more items off our operations checklist as we continue to lead the industry toward commercialization of electric air taxis,” said Bonny Simi, Joby’s president of operations at Joby. “As a former airline pilot, I’m particularly looking forward to seeing our flight academy grow in both courses and students in the coming years as we offer highly competitive prices and strong training curricula that position graduates for success in the industry.”

Joby hopes to obtain an FAA type certificate for its four-passenger JAS4-1 eVTOL air taxi in 2025, and it expects to launch operations in the U.S. and the UAE, where air safety regulators would accept the FAA’s approval under a bilateral agreement.