The 5 stages of air-taxi certification
An eVTOL can fly thousands of test flights and still not be allowed to carry a paying passenger. The gate is FAA type certification — a five-stage process — and it, not flashy demos, is the real finish line.
An electric air taxi can look finished — sleek, quiet, flying impressive demos — and still be years from carrying a paying passenger. The reason is type certification: the regulator's sign-off that an aircraft design is safe enough for commercial service. In the US, the FAA runs this as a five-stage process, and progress through it, not demo footage, is what actually gates a launch.
The stages move from agreement on what must be proven to physically proving it. Early on, the company and FAA settle the certification basis and the means of compliance (how each safety requirement will be demonstrated). The middle stages are exhaustive testing and analysis. Stage 4 is the airworthiness conformity review — confirming the as-built aircraft matches the certified design — and Stage 5 is the issuance of the type certificate itself, the actual licence to fly passengers.
This is why the tracker leads with certification stage rather than test-flight counts or splashy city demos. Joby completing Stage 4 in 2026 is a more meaningful signal than any single flight, because it measures distance to the only milestone that lets the business begin. China's EHang reached an equivalent milestone earlier through a different regulator for its autonomous model — a reminder that the finish line's location depends on which authority you fly under.