Kazakhstan may become the first in Central Asia to launch electric air taxis
Alatau Advance Air signed a LoI to purchase Joby eVTOLs
Kazakhstan may become the first country in Central Asia to introduce electric air taxi services. The Kazakh company Alatau Advance Air Group, owned by Vyacheslav Kim, the founder of the country’s largest fintech firm Kaspi.kz, has signed a letter of intent to purchase electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from the U.S. manufacturer Joby Aviation.
The deal is valued at up to US$250 million and includes pre-delivery payments, Joby Aviation said in a statement. At the same time, the American company signed a memorandum of understanding with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, which pledged to help create the legal and infrastructure framework needed for the operation of electric aircraft in the country.
“We aim to become the first customer of eVTOL aircraft in the region, establish a comprehensive testing site and ground infrastructure, and assist the government of Kazakhstan in creating a reliable regulatory framework for safe and efficient operations,”
According to Khegay, Joby’s aircraft will operate in the newly planned Alatau City and in Kazakhstan’s largest metropolis, Almaty. Alatau City is expected to be completed by 2050 within the Alatau Special Economic Zone in southern Kazakhstan. The infrastructure project is being financed by Alatau City Bank, which is owned by Kim.
The deal also provides Joby Aviation with access to Kazakh titanium and rare earth metals, which are essential for manufacturing eVTOL aircraft.
The U.S. company is currently conducting flight tests of its Joby S4 electric aircraft, designed to carry four passengers over distances of up to 160 km. In early November, Joby began power-on testing on its first prototypes built to meet U.S. FAA requirements. Saudi group Abdul Latif Jameel became Joby’ largest customer signing a MoI for 200 electric aircraft with a total value of US$1 billion this summer.
