Margham Flight Test Facility

About

The Margham Flight Test Facility is the desert flight-test site used by Joby Aviation for its United Arab Emirates eVTOL campaign. The site is located in the Margham locality, in the Dubai desert along the Dubai–Al Ain Road. Joby and the Government of Dubai Media Office both refer to it as Joby's test facility in Margham; regional reporting carrying the RTA statement of 16 November 2025 identifies the pad as the Dubai Jetman Helipad.

Margham is operated as a flight-test site, not as a commercial passenger vertiport. The four announced commercial sites for the Dubai eVTOL network — Dubai International Airport (DXB), Dubai Mall, Atlantis the Royal, and the American University of Dubai — are being built by Skyports Infrastructure under contract to the RTA. Margham is not part of that network. Joby's flight activity at Margham is conducted in collaboration with the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Dubai Air Navigation Services (DANS) and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Key facts

Timeline

1. 2024-02
   Joby and RTA Dubai sign 6-year exclusive air taxi agreement at the World Governments Summit, underpinning subsequent UAE flight-test activity. [ieee-spectrum-2025-12-28]
2. 2025-06-30
   Joby announces the delivery of its first aircraft to the UAE and the first piloted vertical-takeoff-and-landing wingborne flights in Dubai. H.E. Mattar Al Tayer (RTA Director-General) witnesses ground operations and flights. Press release does not yet name 'Margham'. [joby-ir-132-2025-06-30]
3. 2025-summer
   21 piloted flights performed in the UAE as part of an environmental and operations test campaign, with full vertical-to-wingborne-to-vertical transitions. [joby-ir-164-2025-12-15]
4. 2025-11-09
   First piloted point-to-point eVTOL air taxi flight in the UAE: Margham → Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC). 17 minutes. Aircraft entered controlled airspace and pilots communicated with ATC. [joby-ir-162-2025-11-17]
5. 2025-11-16
   Government of Dubai Media Office and RTA publicly announce the Margham → DWC flight. Some downstream coverage confused the announcement date with the flight date — the flight was 9 November. [gdmo-rta-2025-11-16]
6. 2025-11-17
   Joby IR press release confirms 9 November flight and announces three additional vertiport locations (Dubai Mall, Atlantis the Royal, American University of Dubai). Margham is not added to the commercial network. [joby-ir-162-2025-11-17]
7. 2025-11-17
   Joby flies daily eVTOL demonstration flights at Dubai Airshow 2025 (17–21 November), the only eVTOL to fly at the show. [joby-ir-164-2025-12-15]

Practical info

How to get there

By car

Margham is a desert locality reached via the Dubai–Al Ain Road, southeast of central Dubai. The test facility is not open to the public.

From the airport

Approximately 50–60 km southeast of Dubai International Airport (DXB) by road. The 9 November 2025 piloted point-to-point flight from Margham to Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) was completed in 17 minutes.

Regulatory status

Joby's flight activity at Margham is conducted in collaboration with the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Dubai Air Navigation Services (DANS), and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Joby executives have publicly described the UAE pathway as a GCAA "qualification programme" — distinct from FAA Type Certification — under which the regulator can authorise specific operations ahead of full type-certification. The text of any specific GCAA exemption or operating limitation applicable to Margham (airspace block, altitude ceilings, validity period, exemption number) has not been published.

Current progress

As of December 2025, Joby's UAE recap counts 21 piloted flights at Margham over the summer 2025 campaign and the first piloted point-to-point UAE flight on 9 November 2025 (Margham → DWC, 17 minutes). Joby flew daily eVTOL demonstrations at Dubai Airshow 2025 (17–21 November). The commercial transition is to the four Skyports-built vertiports — DXB, Dubai Mall, Atlantis the Royal, AUD — not to Margham. The long-term role of Margham after the 2026 commercial launch (test, training, maintenance, or decommissioning) has not been stated by Joby or the RTA.

Connected entities

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. [joby-ir-132-2025-06-30] Joby Aviation IR — 'Joby Cements Global Lead in Air Taxi Industry with Dubai Flights and Beginning of Commercial Market Readiness Work' (30 Jun 2025) operator-ir · accessed 2026-05-01
2. [joby-ir-162-2025-11-17] Joby Aviation IR — 'Dubai Air Taxi Network Takes Flight: Joby Completes Landmark Flight and Announces Next Vertiport Locations' (17 Nov 2025) operator-ir · accessed 2026-05-01
3. [joby-ir-164-2025-12-15] Joby Aviation IR — 'Joby Caps Year of Flight, Demonstrating Global Commercial Readiness and Operational Momentum Towards FAA Certification' (15 Dec 2025) operator-ir · accessed 2026-05-01
4. [gdmo-rta-2025-11-16] Government of Dubai Media Office / RTA — 'RTA and Joby Complete First Crewed eVTOL Aerial Taxi Flight Between Margham and Al Maktoum International Airport' (16 Nov 2025) official-news · accessed 2026-05-01
5. [ieee-spectrum-2025-12-28] IEEE Spectrum — Elan Head, 'First Air Taxi Service to Launch in Dubai in 2026' (28 Dec 2025) primary · accessed 2026-05-01

Verification flags

• Exact GPS coordinates of the Margham test pad not published by Joby, RTA, GCAA or GDMO — latitude/longitude set to null.
• Pad identified as 'Dubai Jetman Helipad' in regional reporting carrying the RTA statement of 16 Nov 2025; not formally named in Joby IR or GDMO English text.
• Specific GCAA exemption / authorisation document covering Margham operations not published.
• Production conformity of the aircraft used at Margham not directly stated; Joby IR (release #164) confirms the first FAA-conforming aircraft only began power-on testing on 5 Nov 2025, implying the Margham fleet is pre-conforming development articles.
• Long-term post-2026 role of Margham (test, training, maintenance, decommissioning) not stated by Joby or RTA.
• Source conflict on flight date: Joby IR and IEEE Spectrum confirm 9 November 2025; some downstream outlets misreported 16 November (the announcement date).