# eVTOL FAA certification tracker: where every company stands

**Verdict:** Joby Aviation is closest to FAA type certification. It is the only eVTOL developer globally to clear the FAA's Stage 4 conformity review and be granted Type Inspection Authorization (TIA); its first FAA-conforming aircraft flew in March 2026 and Type Inspection by FAA pilots is next. Archer Aviation has finalized airworthiness criteria for its Midnight aircraft and entered Phase 4 testing; Beta Technologies holds a special airworthiness certificate with type certification of the ALIA-250 in progress. Vertical Aerospace (VX4) and Lilium have FAA type certification referenced but no US airworthiness milestone, with Lilium in insolvency. EHang's EH216-S is type-certified by China's CAAC, not the FAA. No eVTOL holds an FAA type certificate yet. Every stage below cites its FAA filing.

**Summary:** 0 eVTOLs with an FAA type certificate | 1 at FAA TIA / Stage 5 (Joby) | 5 in active FAA type certification | 1 type-certified elsewhere (EHang, CAAC).

Certification stages are sourced from the DEPLOY registry's FAA filings. [How we verify](/methodology.md).

## Furthest along: Type Inspection Authorization

Cleared FAA Stage 4 conformity and granted Type Inspection Authorization (TIA). Verified from the DEPLOY registry's FAA filings.

| Provenance | Company | Aircraft | Certification stage | FAA milestone / filing | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verified | [Joby Aviation](/companies/joby-aviation.md) | Joby S4 (Model JAS4-1) | Stage 4 conformity cleared; Stage 5 TIA granted | FAA final airworthiness criteria published in the Federal Register for the Model JAS4-1 powered-lift eVTOL (special class under 14 CFR Part 21), effective April 8, 2024. First eVTOL developer to complete Stage 3. Cleared Stage 4 conformity review and was granted Type Inspection Authorization (TIA), the only eVTOL globally to reach that milestone. First FAA-conforming aircraft flew March 2026. Next phase is Type Inspection by FAA pilots. | 2025-11 (Stage 4 / TIA) | TIA - Type Inspection |

## Airworthiness criteria finalized, flight testing under way

FAA airworthiness criteria finalized and flight-test certificates issued; type certificate not yet granted. Verified from the DEPLOY registry's FAA filings.

| Provenance | Company | Aircraft | Certification stage | FAA milestone / filing | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verified | [Archer Aviation](/companies/archer-aviation.md) | Archer Midnight (M001) | Airworthiness criteria finalized; Phase 4 in progress | FAA finalized the airworthiness criteria for the Archer M001 (Midnight) and a Special Airworthiness Certificate was issued for flight testing. Archer completed Phase 3 and began FAA Phase 4 (formal testing and analysis). Type certificate pending. | 2026-05 (Phase 4 began) | Phase 4 - TC pending |
| Verified | [Beta Technologies](/companies/beta-technologies.md) | ALIA-250 (CX300 conventional variant) | Special airworthiness certificate; TC in progress | FAA multipurpose special airworthiness certificate for the CX300 production aircraft. Type certification of the ALIA-250 eVTOL is in progress. No type certificate granted. | N/A | SAC - TC in progress |

## Type certification in progress, no US airworthiness milestone

FAA type certification referenced or in progress, without a US airworthiness milestone on record. Verified from the DEPLOY registry's FAA filings.

| Provenance | Company | Aircraft | Certification stage | FAA milestone / filing | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verified | [Vertical Aerospace](/companies/vertical-aerospace.md) | VX4 | FAA type certification in progress | FAA type certification in progress for the VX4. EASA is the primary certification path. No FAA type certificate granted. | N/A | TC in progress (EASA-primary) |
| Verified | [Lilium](/companies/lilium.md) | Lilium Jet | FAA type certification referenced; status uncertain | FAA type certification referenced in the FAA Aerospace Forecast. Lilium filed for insolvency in December 2024; type certificate status is uncertain. | N/A | Uncertain (insolvency 2024-12) |

## No FAA type certificate: certified elsewhere or not yet filed

Either type-certified in another jurisdiction (not the FAA) or with no FAA certification-stage filing on record in the DEPLOY registry. Absence reflects no verified FAA milestone on record, not a claim that none exists.

| Provenance | Company | Aircraft | Certification stage | FAA milestone / filing | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verified | [EHang](/companies/ehang.md) | EH216-S | CAAC type-certified (China); not FAA | CAAC Type Certificate (October 13, 2023), Production Certificate, and Standard Airworthiness Certificate for the EH216-S, the world's first eVTOL to receive all three; commercially operating in China. FAA certification is not granted; EHang is seeking FAA validation. | 2023-10-13 (CAAC TC) | CAAC TC - no FAA cert |
| Verified | [Eve Air Mobility](/companies/eve-air-mobility.md) | Eve eVTOL | No FAA type-certification filing on record | Prototype stage. No FAA certification-stage filing is held in the DEPLOY registry for the Eve eVTOL. Absence reflects no verified FAA milestone on record, not a claim that none exists. | N/A | No FAA filing on record |
| Verified | [Wisk Aero](/companies/wisk-aero.md) | Wisk Generation 6 | No FAA type-certification filing on record | No FAA regulatory filing is held in the DEPLOY registry for Wisk Aero. Absence reflects no verified FAA milestone on record, not a claim that none exists. | N/A | No FAA filing on record |

## See also

- [Where can you ride a robotaxi](/where-can-you-ride-a-robotaxi.md): where driverless public robotaxi service actually operates.
- [FDA-cleared surgical robots](/fda-cleared-surgical-robots.md): the regulatory-clearance sibling, by cleared scope.
- [Verified drones & eVTOL](/verified-drones.md): every drone and eVTOL in the registry.
- [Verified deployments](/verified-deployments.md): where these aircraft actually operate.

_DEPLOY does not certify aircraft. We track the FAA certification stage each eVTOL has reached, cite the FAA filing, and keep FAA, CAAC, and EASA separate. Where no FAA filing is on record, we say so._

_API: GET /v1/filings?jurisdiction=us_faa · canonical URL: /evtol-faa-certification-tracker_