The first flying taxis will soon take off in Dubai

  • Reading Time:3Minutes

The Emir of Dubai has announced that in three years’ time, residents and tourists will be able to travel between the four fixed stations in the city by air taxi. The 3.5 million-strong metropolis will initially have pilots driving the eVTOLs, and now it looks like a US company’s solution will be systematised.

Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced on Sunday on Twitter that he would relaunch the city’s air taxi programme. The promotional video features a six-rotor eVTOL vehicle manufactured by Joby Aviation of the US.

The metropolis has repeatedly promised the introduction of flying taxis since 2017, but has not always provided details.

However, this year’s announcement is a departure from previous ones, as more concrete details about the project have been revealed. The plan is for the vehicles to take to the skies from 2026, with four airports in Dubai: at Palm Jumeirah Island, Dubai Airport, the Marina luxury residential area and a downtown site. Each location will have two launch stations and four electric charging points, Bloomberg reports. They also said they will price their rates at the same level as rental limousines.

The minimum base fare for Dubai taxis is around $3.25 and they charge half a dollar per kilometre. Limousines are 30 percent more expensive. The authorities are planning to start with piloted eVTOLs, but will test driverless solutions in the future. An official from the Dubai Transport Authority told the local press that the plan is in its early stages and no agreement has been signed with any company.

The piloted Joby prototype can fly more than 240 kilometres before needing to be recharged, which would give it plenty of coverage of the city and even reach Abu Dhabi. It takes off and lands vertically, with its rotors tilting forward in flight, and has a maximum speed of 320 km/h.

Opening up the skies to flying taxis would alleviate traffic problems in the city of 3.5 million people, which attracts tourists from all over the world and is a financial and commercial hub, and as such is regularly congested. VTOL vehicles can take off and land locally without a runway, and helicopters can also be dispatched.

The technology is still in its infancy, but more futuristic devices are being introduced, and it is predicted that flying cars and motorbikes could proliferate after 2030, but until then only the richest can afford them. However, taxis could be available to the general public.

Recent article

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

CycloTech Presents First Air Car with CycloRotors

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

The flying ambulance arrives at lightning speed

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

The electric car revolution could continue in the air

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

Unmanned aerial taxis flew in a unique formation

Electric airplane News & Articles

NASA’s Innovations: Soaring into an Electrified Flight Future

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

Could eVTOLs and Air Taxis Replace Public Transport ?

Drones News & Articles

Harnessing Nature’s Flight: The Bird-Inspired Drone

Additional aircraft News & Articles

The Morphobot: An Innovation in Multimodal Robotics

News & Articles Points of interest

The Dawn of AI Air Travel: Airbus and its Vision for Autonomy

Air taxi News & Articles

Volocopter’s High-Flying Ambitions for the Olympics

News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel

The Horizon of Aviation: Airbus’ Vision for 2035 and Beyond

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

A Shift in Aviation Licensing and Training

Drones News & Articles

Russia’s Path to Drone Supremacy

Air taxi News & Articles

Israel’s Pioneering Venture into Drone Transport

Air taxi News & Articles

More efficient air taxis in the future

Air taxi News & Articles

Testing of perhaps the most promising air taxi begins

Additional aircraft News & Articles

Navigating the Future: Autonomous Helicopters Soar High

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

Embracing the Future: Seoul’s Leap into Urban Air Mobility
More articles you may be interested in...

Air taxi News & Articles

Israel’s Pioneering Venture into Drone Transport

As the sunrises on another era of technology, drone taxis are no longer a figment.......... READ MORE

Air taxi News & Articles

More efficient air taxis in the future

As we catapult ourselves deeper into the 21st century, we are continually met with technological.......... READ MORE

Air taxi News & Articles

The Coming Electric Air Taxi Revolution: Competing with Train Tickets ?

The Dutch company, Electron Aviation, is making a bold promise that is set to disrupt.......... READ MORE

News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel

Unveiling the Whisper of Innovation: CycloTech’s Exploration into CycloRotor Noise Levels

In the fast-paced realm of aeronautical engineering, the introduction of CycloRotors has heralded a paradigm.......... READ MORE

Points of interest

Sailing the Skies in Style: Airbus’s Novel Vision for Air Travel

Navigating the dawn of a fresh chapter in aviation, Airbus recently shared its audacious plans.......... READ MORE

Drones News & Articles

Boosting Agriculture: A Drone Revolution Awaits in Budapest

The stage is set in Hungary, as it stands on the brink of an exciting.......... READ MORE

News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel

Embracing the Future with Rolls-Royce’s Revolutionary UltraFan Engine

Just when you thought the apex of innovation had been reached, Rolls-Royce challenges the notion.......... READ MORE

Air taxi News & Articles

Testing of perhaps the most promising air taxi begins

For some of us, the very idea of an air taxi evokes scenes straight out.......... READ MORE