Jetson ONE ‘flying car’ becomes first eVTOL certified for flight in Italy

One month after securing a fresh seed round worth $15 million, personal eVTOL developer Jetson has achieved certification for flights in uncontrolled airspace in Italy, the first ultra-light aircraft manufacturer to do so. With operational authorization also in place, Jetson’s ONE “flying cars” could be taking to the skies of Italy soon.

Jetson AB is a Swedish startup founded in 2017 that specializes in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. By developing smaller eVTOLs, Jetson claims to be the first competitor on the market to provide commercially available personal electric vehicles.

Other competitors have followed suit, enabling personal flights of their own following customer deliveries (and extensive training of course), but the Jetson ONE eVTOL is a unique new form of aerial travel.

The startup debuted the ONE back in 2021 ahead of a limited production run and an opening of pre-orders. Jetson is now looking to ramp up and expand on the wings of a $15 million funding round, led by music artist will.i.am, who is also a customer looking to fly around the US like… well like the Jetsons I suppose.

As its next milestone, Jetson has announced two crucial flight permits in Italy that will allow eVTOL travel in the country’s uncontrolled airspace.

Jetson’s ultra-light ONE eVTOL to take flight in Italy

According to news out of Jetson HQ today, the startup’s flagship ONE aircraft has been has issued a registration certificate for a recreational ultralight eVTOL flights in Italy by Aero Club d’Italia (AeCI) – the first of its kind. The permit allows licensed pilots to fly the Jetson ONE pre-production aircrafts in the country.

Not to be outdone, Jetson is reporting it completed its first flight on US soil the same day it received the I-X078 registration overseas. Furthermore, the eVTOL startup also nabbed operational authorization by Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), permitting it to begin unmanned Jetson ONE flights in Italy remotely.

The company states that with ENAC authorization now in place, it can accelerate testing and validation of its pre-production ONE eVTOLs before entering scaled production. Per Jetson CEO Stephan D’haene (seen above):

The operational authorization by ENAC for UAS allows us to gradually expand the flight envelope of the Jetson ONE, all without exposing a test-pilot to potential risk when we explore the limits of the vehicle. As a company, safety is our number one priority, and this authorization is a great enabler. Our airworthiness and compliance team has worked rigorously with the Italian authorities to obtain these new milestones. We expressly wish to thank the forward-looking team at ENAC for supporting our safety initiatives.

The certification milestone follows Jetson’s move to Italy as its new home after trekking its operations over from Poland last year. The startup now works out of an R&D and production facility in Arezzo, Tuscany, and a Jetson headquarters on a private airfield south of Florence. That site contains an 800-meter airstrip for flight testing and is home to a customer experience center, and pilot school.

Jetson states it has already sold over 300 ONE eVTOLs at $98,000 a pop (excluding taxes and fees). You can still reserve one for yourself with a downpayment of $8,000.