In conjunction with the World Government Summit, UAE Vice-President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum gave his approval to the design of new air taxi stations in Dubai.
He tweeted that Dubai would become the first city in the world to have a fully developed network of vertiports and that air taxis would start operating there in three years. A vertiport is a piece of infrastructure that houses electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft like air taxis.
The air taxis will have a range of 241 km and a top speed of 300 km/h. There will be a pilot and four passengers in each taxi. Dubai’s four major areas—Downtown Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, and Dubai Marina—will be connected by the vertiport network.
By 2026, the air taxi network will be designed and developed by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in partnership with Joby Aviation and Skyports Infrastructure. The goal of the project is to deliver an effortless, zero-emission ride to passengers from beginning to end.
The RTA also featured a simulation at the summit where attendees could experience flying taxis. Due to the aircraft’s ability to take off and land vertically, it will have a quick turnaround time.
