The eVTOL Certification Race Is in the Endgame: Joby in Final FAA Stage, Archer Close Behind

Advanced air mobility in the U.S. has entered the certification endgame. Joby Aviation’s S4 is in Stage 5, the final stage of FAA type certification — its August 5 letter put the fourth stage at 83% on Joby’s side and 77% on the FAA’s, with the fifth stage at 20% and 10% respectively — and its first FAA-conforming aircraft flew with Joby pilots on March 11. Archer Aviation closed Phase 3 of its four-phase process in April, making it the first eVTOL company to do so, and is now in Phase 4 compliance work; the FAA accepted all 797 of the Midnight’s proposed means of compliance back on March 2.

Both companies are also building the operational side. Under the federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program — eight projects across 26 states announced March 9 — Joby began eIPP flights in Texas on September 10, while Archer is targeting early operations in Florida, Texas and New York in the second half of 2026 under the same program. Joby raised a net $1.2 billion in February to survive the cash burn, is partnered with Toyota on automotive-style manufacturing and Virgin Atlantic on UK integration, and has targeted a commercial launch with Delta Air Lines before the end of 2026.

The honest status, as filings through early October 2026 confirm: neither company holds an FAA type certificate, and neither has flown paying passengers. Certification, not engineering, is the gate — and the question has shifted from whether eVTOLs are real to who will carry paying passengers first, on what routes, and at what cost. The UAE, which moved both companies’ programs forward this month, may answer that question before the U.S. does.