Joby Aviation completed the first fully autonomous cross-country flight of an electric air taxi from California to North Carolina.

What it means

Joby Aviation, an electric air taxi company, has completed the first fully autonomous cross-country flight in the United States. The aircraft, a converted Cessna Caravan equipped with Joby's autonomy technology, flew 3,199 miles from California to North Carolina without any control inputs from the onboard safety pilot. This is a milestone for autonomous aviation but not yet a commercial service.

Accuracy & sourcesGrounded

The claim originates from Joby Aviation's own press release and is reported by multiple reputable outlets (Engadget, Yahoo Finance, New York Post). The reporting sits close to the primary source, so the claim is solid as a company announcement, though independent third-party verification of the fully autonomous nature is not provided in these reports.

How new

The event was announced and reported between September 18 and 20, 2026, making it genuinely new.

Go deeper

• New York Post — first to publish