Consul General Neil Ferrer (2nd from right), together with Marina City officials and Asian Communities of Marina board members, listens as Joby Aviation Design Engineer Erik Lassen (extreme left) gives a tour of its Pilot Production Plant in Marina, California on March 22, 2024.
San Francisco PCG photos

MARINA – Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil R. Ferrer visited Joby Aviation, an aerospace company pioneering the development and production of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) in the U.S. for commercial passenger service on March 22, 2024.

ConGen Ferrer was accompanied by Consul Vanessa G. Bago-Llona, Trade Commissioner May Nina Celynne P. Layug, and Economic Assistant Jennifer V. Sto. Domingo.

ConGen Neil Frank Ferrer (4th from left), with members of the group who visited Joby Aviation, including Trade Commissioner Celynne Layug, Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona, Marina City Councilmember Katherine Biala, Marina City Manager Layne Long and Economic Assistant Jennifer Sto. Domingo.

The tour, facilitated by Marina Councilmember Katherine Biala and Marina City Manager Layne Long, was also attended by Asian Communities of Marina Board Members, including Filipino American community leaders in Monterey County.

Joby Aviation, headquartered in Marina, has been developing quiet, all-electric aircraft to enhance connectivity, especially in busy urban areas. Its aircraft has a range of up to 150 miles as well as vertical takeoff and landing capabilities.

The Joby aircraft aims to pioneer electric aerial ridesharing, potentially becoming the first of its kind to be integrated with the Uber app.

Through the company’s aerial ridesharing service, individuals could reserve an environmentally sustainable ride and be transported from one location to a nearby destination with a smartphone app.

During the tour of Joby Aviation’s Pilot Production Plant in Marina, attendees were given insights into the company’s cutting-edge manufacturing techniques.

With strategic partnerships with Toyota, Delta Airlines, and Uber, Joby Aviation aims to bring aerial ridesharing to a global scale. Joby’s recent milestones include becoming the first electric air taxi to fly in New York City in November 2023 and delivering its first aircraft to Edwards Air Force Base in September 2023, becoming the first electric air taxi to be stationed on a U.S. military base. (PCGSF Release)