Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, has announced that work has started on Dubai’s first flying taxi station.
The vertiport is set to be near Dubai International Airport, he added, with the site to be able to handle 170,000 passengers a year. Downtown, Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah are all to have stations.
“We commenced construction on Dubai’s first aerial taxi vertiport near Dubai International Airport,” Sheikh Hamdan wrote on X.
“The initial phase will feature stations in Downtown, Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah, with services launching in 2026. Dubai continues to shape the future of global mobility with its steadfast commitment to innovation, safety and sustainability.”
The air taxi station will be a 3,100 square metre building with parking facilities, two air taxi take-off and landing areas, air taxi parking and charging stations. It will also have an air-conditioned arrivals hall to receive passengers.
The maximum capacity of the terminal is estimated to be 42,000 air taxi landings per year, serving about 170,000 passengers per year.
In February, Joby Aviation signed an agreement with the RTA to launch air taxi services in Dubai by early 2026. It will manufacture and operate the air taxis and manage passenger traffic, while Skyport will design, implement and manage station infrastructure.
Dubai officials said that the electrically powered Joby S4 air taxi will be capable of vertical take-offs and landings, and will not cause any emissions, including noise, into the environment. The five-seater design has six fans, four battery packs and the ability to fly a distance of 161km with a top speed of 320kmph.
The journey from Dubai International Airport to Palm Jumeirah is expected to take about 12 minutes, compared to about 45 minutes by car.
“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," Khaled Al Awadhi, director of transportation technology at the RTA, said at the World Congress and Exhibition on Intelligent Transport Systems in Dubai in September.
Electric air taxis are also expected to be considerably quieter than helicopters, registering no more than 45 decibels. That is said to be lower than the sound of rain.
Will flying taxis help ease traffic?
It is hoped the new service will help to reduce traffic across the emirate. “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 to 12 minutes, compared to the current time of more than 45 minutes during peak times,” Tyler Trerotola, general manager of the Middle East at Joby Aviation, said in September.
Earlier this year, The National reported that the RTA signed an agreement that provides Joby Aviation with the exclusive right to operate air taxis in Dubai for six years.
Are flying taxis used anywhere else?
Saudi Arabia also plans to introduce flying taxis at major tourist sites and developments by 2026. The aircraft is set to be used in major projects, including Neom and AlUla, Saudia Airlines announced in January.
"We are very close to achieving our goals. We have successfully done the tests in Neom," a source at the kingdom's Aviation Ministry told The National at the time.
It is also hoped air taxis will take Hajj and Umrah pilgrims from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to hotels in Makkah. The transfer of pilgrims "will be carried out with maximum speed and highest quality", the official Saudi Press Agency reported this year. The logistics will be managed by Saudia, the kingdom's national airline.
The total market created by electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL, is forecast to be worth $1.5 trillion a year by 2040 in a base-case assessment by Morgan Stanley analysts put together in February. Potential customers are expected to come from industries including airlines, logistics, emergency services, agriculture, tourism and security operations.
Most aircraft of this kind are still in the testing stages, and the stage of development they are at varies widely. An important challenge for operators is navigating airspace restrictions, especially when these are tightly controlled in and around urban areas.
How Dubai's flying taxis might look – in pictures
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An artist's impression of air taxis over the Dubai skyline. All photos: Dubai Government Media Office -
The RTA, Joby Aviation and Skyports give attendees at the government summit a glimpse of what their flying taxis will look like. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Designs for 'vertiports' — air taxi stations — have been approved by the Dubai government -
Ahmed Bahrozyan, head of the Public Transport Agency at Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority. Antonie Robertson / The National -
There would be four skyports in Dubai, including this one linked to a Dubai metro station. Antonie Robertson/The National -
Air taxis will begin flying in the emirate within three years -
Many companies are already looking to make vertical take-off and landing vehicles a part of daily life -
Dubai is set to become the world's first city with a fully developed network of vertiports -
The emirate has been working with Skyports Infrastructure and Joby Aviation to develop the infrastructure -
Each aircraft will carry a pilot and up to four passengers, with a range of 241km and a top speed of 300kph
