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Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the UAE and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, has approved the construction of the city’s first air taxi vertiport, which will accelerate flying taxi services by 2026.

The air taxi station to be built near Dubai International Airport (DXB) promises to revolutionize urban mobility. Dubai aims to be at the forefront of advanced air mobility by offering passengers a unique, comfortable and seamless air transportation experience.

The 3,100 square meter vertiport will perform takeoff, landing, aircraft charging and parking operations. The state-of-the-art facility is designed to serve approximately 42,000 landings and 170,000 passengers annually. It will utilize the latest technology to enable efficient takeoffs and landings, ushering in a new era of flying taxis.

Joby Aviation Manage aircraft production, operations and passenger movement; Skyports will oversee the infrastructure.

Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will ensure management and integration with other modes of transport ahead of flying taxi services in the first quarter of 2026.

– #Dubai It will be the first city in the world to launch an urban air taxi network.

– Vertiport covers an area of ​​3,100 square meters and includes designated areas for takeoff and landing, aircraft charging, a private air taxi apron and parking area.

– The facility has capacity… pic.twitter.com/2PgaANtQBr

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) 12 November 2024

“In the first phase, the air taxi service will be operated from four strategic points close to Dubai International Airport, Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah. The service offers Dubai residents and visitors a new, fast and safe transportation option to important points of the city,” he said. RTA.

Al Tayer said the journey from DXB to Palm Jumeirah is expected to take about 12 minutes, compared to 45 minutes by car. The service also supports integration with public transport modes and individual transport solutions such as e-scooters and bicycles.

Dubai is preparing for flying taxis

Joby applied for a certificate that would allow him to operate commercial air transport in the UAE in September, as the flying taxi firm aims to launch operations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi as early as 2025.

The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer signed a deal with RTA in February to launch an all-electric air taxi service in Dubai.

Joby also signed a multilateral Memorandum of Understanding with Abu Dhabi government institutions, including the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport and the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi), paving the way for the establishment and expansion of the eVTOL firm. Operations in the UAE.

The company’s S4 Aerial taxi is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 322 km (200 miles) per hour. The plane can complete the journey from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in 30 minutes, compared to nearly two hours by car during peak hours.

Other eVTOL players, including Archer Aviation, have signed multi-million dollar framework agreements to accelerate planned commercial air taxi operations in the UAE.

To read: Saudi Arabia applied to German Lilium for flying taxis