Electric air taxis will begin operating in Dubai during the first quarter of 2026, the city's transport authority has confirmed.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said the air taxis will operate from four vertiports in the emirate – located at Dubai International Airport (DXB), Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina and Dubai Downtown. The vehicles are designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at 320 kph.
This means passengers can get from Dubai International Airport to Palm Jumeirah in 10-12 minutes compared to 45 minutes by car, state news agency Wam reported.
“Powered by Joby Aviation, the first point of the four vertiports of the Dubai flying taxi is expected to go into operation in the first quarter of 2026,” said Khaled Al Awadhi, director of the transportation systems department at Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
He made his comments speaking on the sidelines of the World Congress and Exhibition on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS World Congress) in Dubai.
“The project is an ambitious step in the field of autonomous air transportation, and aims to provide a modern and efficient means of transportation, as the air taxi is expected to serve different areas of the city, with a focus on linking the service to hotels and the airport.”
The electric air taxis will be considerably less noisy than normal helicopters with a sound of no more than 45 decibels, which is said to be less than the sound of rain.
Easing traffic congestion
The new service will help to reduce the level of traffic across Dubai, said Tyler Trerotola, general manager of the Middle East at Joby Aviation.
“The new service will contribute to easing traffic congestion in Dubai, as it is expected to reduce the travel time from Dubai International Airport to Palm Jumeirah to only 10-12 minutes, compared to the current time of more than 45 minutes during peak times,” he said.
The new heliports will be designed and developed in collaboration with air mobility infrastructure firm Skyports and will include dedicated take-off and landing areas, electric charging facilities, a dedicated passenger area.
Earlier this year, The National reported how the RTA had signed an agreement that provides Joby Aviation with the exclusive right to operate air taxis in Dubai for six years.
The%20specs
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SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Rankings
ATP: 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 10,955 pts; 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 8,320; 3. Alexander Zverev (GER) 6,475 ( 1); 5. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 5,060 ( 1); 6. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 4,845 ( 1); 6. Roger Federer (SUI) 4,600 (-3); 7. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 4,110 ( 2); 8. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 3,960; 9. John Isner (USA) 3,155 ( 1); 10. Marin Cilic (CRO) 3,140 (-3)
WTA: 1. Naomi Osaka (JPN) 7,030 pts ( 3); 2. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 6,290 ( 4); 3. Simona Halep (ROM) 5,582 (-2); 4. Sloane Stephens (USA) 5,307 ( 1); 5. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 5,100 ( 3); 6. Angelique Kerber (GER) 4,965 (-4); 7. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 4,940; 8. Kiki Bertens (NED) 4,430 ( 1); 9. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 3,566 (-6); 10. Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 3,485 ( 1)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
Company%20profile
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
The biog
Date of birth: 27 May, 1995
Place of birth: Dubai, UAE
Status: Single
School: Al Ittihad private school in Al Mamzar
University: University of Sharjah
Degree: Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Hobby: I enjoy travelling a lot, not just for fun, but I like to cross things off my bucket list and the map and do something there like a 'green project'.
