First-of-its-kind crosscountry demonstration by Joby Aviation puts Utah in the spotlight as a national leader in advanced air mobility technologies
SALT LAKE CITY, UT (Sept. 30, 2026) — The Utah Department of Transportation welcomed Joby Aviation today as the company remotely operated its supervised autonomous J208 aircraft, equipped with Superpilot™ autonomous flight technology, in Utah. The aircraft arrived in the state as part of the Electric Skies tour, a coast-to-coast journey covering a dozen cities and 5,541 nautical miles. Utah is the second-to-last stop on the crosscountry journey, highlighting the state’s role as a national leader in the development and deployment of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies.
“Utah has always been a place where innovation and big ideas can take flight. We are actively building a future transportation system that includes advanced air mobility solutions,” UDOT Aeronautics Director Matt Maass said. “This supervised autonomous flight is more than a demonstration; it is helping to generate important data that will be used to inform safety standards, future infrastructure decisions and operating best practices for AAM deployment across Utah.”
State leaders are positioning Utah as a place where autonomous aircraft can fly. Utah already has many of the ingredients needed to compete in this emerging industry, including a robust aerospace and defense supply chain, world-class research institutions, Hill Air Force Base, the Utah Test and Training Range and a growing ecosystem of companies developing advanced aviation and uncrewed aircraft technologies.
“As the lead state of the uFLY coalition, Utah is actively designing the future of flight. By gathering real-world flight data on the next generation of aerospace here, we are proving that multi-state collaboration is the key to scaling advanced air mobility. Utah is one of a handful of states setting the blueprint that the rest of the nation will follow to integrate these aircraft safely and responsibly,” said Bonny Simi, President of Operations at Joby Aviation.
These aircraft would be part of a larger, connected transportation system linking communities to existing infrastructure such as airports, transit and roadways. With 90% of Utahns living within 30 minutes of a regional airport, autonomous aviation is not intended to replace existing transportation systems, but to enhance them, ultimately creating new connections between communities and expanding access to jobs, services and opportunities.
“The implications of today’s demonstration extend well beyond transportation. Autonomous aviation represents a significant economic opportunity for Utah businesses and workers,” said Aaron Starks, 47G president and CEO. “Building an industry ecosystem strengthens Utah’s already thriving aerospace and defense sector, attracts investment and high-skilled jobs and creates game-changing opportunities for universities and technology companies to stay at the forefront of innovation.”
Follow the link to learn more about UDOT’s role in Advanced Air Mobility and our uFLY initiative.
