Joby Aviation, Inc., which is developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, will expand its site in Marina, California, doubling aircraft manufacturing capacity at that location. The total site now spans approximately 435,500 square feet and will support the scale-up of commercial operations. California-based Joby is developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing air taxi which it intends to operate as part of a fast, quiet, and convenient service in cities around the world.
The opening of the new manufacturing space is a big step forward as Joby gets ready to scale production and enter the market. With its newly expanded Marina facility, the company plans to add hundreds of full-time jobs to support increased aircraft production.
Strong support from local workforce and community-based organizations, elected officials, city and county leaders, and nonprofit partners were instrumental in bringing the expanded facility to life. In 2023, Joby was awarded a $9.8 million dollar grant from the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to accelerate its growth. The company also benefited from a program through the California State Treasurer’s Office, which helped reduce equipment costs by $10 million.
Once fully operational, the expanded Marina site is expected to be able to produce up to 24 aircraft per year, which is nearly one every other week. It will also provide key capabilities including its initial FAA production certification, conforming ground and flight testing components, pilot training simulators, and aircraft maintenance.
The Marina site strengthens Joby’s broader manufacturing network, which includes three additional facilities:
- Santa Cruz, CA: Headquarters driving innovation and system architecture
- San Carlos, CA: Focused on powertrain and electronics
- Dayton, Ohio: Newly renovated facility at Dayton International Airport that will manufacture and test aircraft components for Joby’s Pilot Production Line
The Dayton site demonstrates the capabilities required for FAA production certification and supports Joby’s plans to scale operations. Equipment installation is underway and production is ramping up at that location, where Joby expects to eventually build a larger greenfield factory. In September 2023, Joby selected Dayton as the location for its scaled manufacturing facility, capable of producing up to 500 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft per year, with plans to invest up to $500 million and create up to 2,000 high-quality, clean manufacturing jobs in the region.
“Reimagining urban mobility takes speed, scale, and precision manufacturing. Our expanded manufacturing footprint in both California and Ohio is preparing us to do just that,” said Eric Allison, Chief Product Officer at Joby. “We celebrated the opening of the new facility with the flight of our sixth aircraft, which earned airworthiness certification within a week of completion.”
