A Volocopter drone taxi at Pontoise airfield near Paris, France. Reuters
A Volocopter drone taxi at Pontoise airfield near Paris, France. Reuters
A Volocopter drone taxi at Pontoise airfield near Paris, France. Reuters
A Volocopter drone taxi at Pontoise airfield near Paris, France. Reuters

Flying taxis to become an everyday reality for Neom residents


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Flying taxis will be a reality for residents of Neom, says the man leading work to build Saudi Arabia's sustainable desert city in a continuous 170 kilometre structure on the Red Sea coast.

Nadhmi Al Nasr, chief executive of the Neom City Project, told the Saudi Green Initiative Forum that his team was developing the first eco-friendly transport system based on aviation, using flying taxis powered entirely by sustainable batteries.

Last year, Saudi Arabia signed an agreement with German-based Volocopter, which will be the sole operator of the first public transit routes in Neom. The city ordered 15 Volocopter aircraft, five of which will transport logistics and the rest, passengers.

Neom announced that it has made a $175 million Series E investment in Volocopter, the pioneer of what the company calls Urban Air Mobility.

“The land of the future giga-project will take a significant equity stake in the company as part of its strategic engagement with the global eVTOL industry, positioning it as a leader in future mobility solutions,” Neom said on its website, referring to electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

  • Trojena will open in 2026 as part of Saudi Arabia's megacity of the future. Photo: Neom
    Trojena will open in 2026 as part of Saudi Arabia's megacity of the future. Photo: Neom
  • Trojena is designed to attract visitors, holidaymakers and winter sports enthusiasts from around the world. PA
    Trojena is designed to attract visitors, holidaymakers and winter sports enthusiasts from around the world. PA
  • The design plan for Trojena, an area in Saudi Arabia's planned megacity of Neom chosen to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games. AFP
    The design plan for Trojena, an area in Saudi Arabia's planned megacity of Neom chosen to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games. AFP
  • The Line is also being built at Neom. It will be free of cars and streets and have zero carbon emissions. Photo: Neom
    The Line is also being built at Neom. It will be free of cars and streets and have zero carbon emissions. Photo: Neom
  • Neom chief executive Nadhmi Al Nasr said The Line would make use of artificial intelligence technology to the fullest. Photo: Neom
    Neom chief executive Nadhmi Al Nasr said The Line would make use of artificial intelligence technology to the fullest. Photo: Neom
  • Neom city will be powered by clean energy, officials say. Photo: Neom
    Neom city will be powered by clean energy, officials say. Photo: Neom
  • Trojena in Neom will host the first outdoor snow skiing destination in the GCC region. Photo: Neom
    Trojena in Neom will host the first outdoor snow skiing destination in the GCC region. Photo: Neom
  • Neom lies in a desert bordering the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. Reuters
    Neom lies in a desert bordering the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. Reuters
  • Architects say Neom will be designed to make the most of its environmental surroundings. Photo: Neom
    Architects say Neom will be designed to make the most of its environmental surroundings. Photo: Neom
  • Andrew McEvoy, sector head for tourism at Neom, at Arabian Travel Market held at Dubai World Trade Centre. Pawan Singh / The National
    Andrew McEvoy, sector head for tourism at Neom, at Arabian Travel Market held at Dubai World Trade Centre. Pawan Singh / The National
  • The $500bn Neom project in the Tabuk Province of north-western Saudi Arabia is supported by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund. Photo: Saudi Commission for Tourism and Natural Heritage
    The $500bn Neom project in the Tabuk Province of north-western Saudi Arabia is supported by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund. Photo: Saudi Commission for Tourism and Natural Heritage

Neom has established its first centre to develop clean energy and green hydrogen, Mr Al Nasr said. He said its focus was on innovation and research aimed to protect nature reserves and the wider environment.

He said “work is under way” in Neom to provide renewable water sources for commercial and industrial consumption.

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Wicked: For Good

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater

Rating: 4/5

Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

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PROFILE OF STARZPLAY

Date started: 2014

Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand

Number of employees: 125

Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners

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Golden Shoe top five (as of March 1):

Harry Kane, Tottenham, Premier League, 24 goals, 48 points
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The biog

Name: Maitha Qambar

Age: 24

Emirate: Abu Dhabi

Education: Master’s Degree

Favourite hobby: Reading

She says: “Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone learns from their experiences”

How Beautiful this world is!
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder

Transmission: seven-speed auto

Power: 400hp

Torque: 500Nm

Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)

On sale: 2022 

Jewel of the Expo 2020

252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome

13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas

550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome

724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses

Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa

Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site

The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants

Al Wasl means connection in Arabic

World’s largest 360-degree projection surface

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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The Bio

Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity

The Bio

Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”

Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”

Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”

Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”

Updated: November 13, 2022, 12:00 PM