About
The Margham → Al Maktoum International (DWC) flight was a one-off, piloted point-to-point demonstration carried out by Joby Aviation on Sunday 9 November 2025. The flight departed Joby's flight test facility at Margham, in the south-east of Dubai emirate, and landed 17 minutes later at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC, Dubai World Central). Joby has described it as the first electric air taxi point-to-point flight in the UAE.
The flight took place in the lead-up to the Dubai Airshow 2025, where Joby conducted daily demonstration flights. The Margham–DWC route itself is not part of the four-vertiport initial commercial network (DXB, Dubai Mall, Atlantis the Royal, American University of Dubai) announced for 2026. Margham is Joby's flight test base in the UAE, not a planned commercial vertiport site.
Key facts
Timeline
- 2024-02Joby and RTA Dubai sign 6-year exclusive air taxi agreement at the World Governments Summit. [joby-ir-2024-02]
- 2025-11-09Joby completes 17-minute piloted point-to-point flight from Margham to Al Maktoum International (DWC) — first such flight in the UAE. [joby-ir-2025-11-17]
- 2025-11-17Joby and RTA jointly announce the flight and three new vertiport sites; daily demonstrations at Dubai Airshow 2025. [joby-ir-2025-11-17]
Practical info
How to get there
By metro
Dubai Metro does not serve Margham. The Route 2020 / Red Line extension serves Expo City Dubai, near DWC.
By car
Margham is in south-east Dubai emirate, accessible via Al Ain–Dubai Road (E66). DWC is in Jebel Ali / Dubai South, accessed via Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) and Emirates Road (E611).
From the airport
DWC sits roughly 50 km south-west of DXB by road. Margham is roughly 60 km south-east of DXB. The two endpoints are not in adjacent districts — the demonstration covered substantial distance across the emirate.
Regulatory status
The flight was conducted under the operational framework agreed between Joby Aviation, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai. RTA Director General H.E. Mattar Al Tayer publicly confirmed the flight as a milestone within RTA's air mobility programme on 17 November 2025. No published regulatory document specific to this single demonstration flight has been identified.
Current progress
The Margham–DWC flight has not been repeated as a published commercial service. Joby's announced 2026 commercial network is built around four vertiports — DXB, Dubai Mall, Atlantis the Royal, and American University of Dubai — not Margham, which remains a test facility. Whether DWC will become a commercial vertiport in the network has not been confirmed by Joby or RTA.
Connected entities
Aircraft
Frequently asked questions
Where did the Margham to Al Maktoum eVTOL flight go from and to?
How long did the Margham to Al Maktoum flight take?
When was the Margham to Al Maktoum eVTOL flight completed?
Was the Margham to Al Maktoum flight piloted or autonomous?
Can passengers fly the Margham to Al Maktoum route?
Will the Margham to Al Maktoum route become commercial?
Sources
- [joby-ir-2025-11-17] Joby Aviation IR — Dubai Air Taxi Network Takes Flight (17 Nov 2025) operator-ir · accessed 2026-05-01
- [joby-ir-2024-02] Joby Aviation — RTA Dubai exclusive agreement announcement (Feb 2024) operator-ir · accessed 2026-05-01
- [rta-statement-2025-11] RTA Dubai — Statement by H.E. Mattar Al Tayer on Joby first crewed point-to-point flight (carried via Joby IR, 17 Nov 2025) primary · accessed 2026-05-01
Verification flags
- Exact great-circle distance for Margham–DWC not published by Joby; not invented.
- Number of crew/passengers on the demonstration flight not published.
- GPS coordinates set to a midpoint between Margham (~24.97°N, 55.53°E per OSM) and DWC (~24.90°N, 55.16°E per OSM); flagged because route entities have no single point of truth.
- Whether DWC will be retained as a commercial node in the initial network not confirmed by Joby or RTA — initial network as announced covers DXB, Dubai Mall, Atlantis the Royal, American University of Dubai.