When an air taxi took to the Dubai sky on Monday, it announced the city’s target to be the first in the world to offer a commercial all-electric aerial option to tackle traffic congestion.
A round of applause greeted the pilot of the Joby Aviation aerial taxi after making a gentle vertical landing in the Dubai desert, completing a test flight of the electric aircraft.
The test flight of California-based aviation company's electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft lasted a few minutes, with the company saying it was on track to rolling out the service early next year.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, hailed it as a landmark and a “major step forward” in the long-term vision to revolutionise public transport.
“It's really exciting for us to be here,” said Didier Papadopoulos, Joby’s president of aircraft.
“We started this journey many years ago, working to make sure we have the right product to solve one of the hardest things − which is, how do we deal with congestion for larger cities like Dubai?
“This is the first time we have taken this aircraft outside of the US to a market of deployment and have flown it with a pilot on board. It's an amazing achievement and we chose Dubai to do that.”
Building infrastructure
The aircraft can reach a maximum speed of 320kph. The target is to be able to fly up to 160km carrying a pilot and four passengers.
“You want to take off like a helicopter so you can take off from small locations within the cities, but you want to become a plane as soon as possible, usually within 45 seconds from take-off,” Mr Papadopoulos said.
The vertiport infrastructure to support the vertical take-off and landing will be at Dubai International Airport, Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina and The Palm Jumeirah. The assurance is that the aerial taxi will take less than 12 minutes from Dubai Airport to the Palm, compared with about 45 minutes by road.
“The plan is to deliver the first vertiport at Dubai International Airport in Q1 2026 and hopefully start commercial services very soon after,” said Anthony Khoury, Joby’s UAE general manager.
He said an application would allow a passenger who landed at DXB airport to order an aircraft at the DXB vertiport, fly to The Palm and take an Uber to the final destination.
“Uber is our first partner, but we will be integrating with other modes of transport to have a cohesive, comprehensive, multimodal experience,” Mr Khoury said. “So, you don't really need to think about first mile, last mile and how do I get to the vertiport. Everything will be integrated.”
It is planned that more stops will be added in Dubai to the initial four, with the initiative also expanded within each emirate to deliver connections between them.
Affordable vision
Joby has yet to specify its pricing, but has said it aims to be affordable.
“Our vision is to have affordability,” Mr Khoury said. “Our ambition is for this to be accessible for everyone who wants to take an aerial taxi.”
Archer Aviation, another air taxi company, which plans to launch services in Abu Dhabi, had earlier said inner-city travel would cost Dh300 ($81) to Dh350, while travel to other emirates would range from Dh800 to Dh1,500, according to local media.
UberChopper in Dubai charges Dh520 per person for a 12-minute tour, or Dh1,050 per person for a 25‑minute city circuit.
Why Dubai?
Joby Aviation was invited by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, in 2024 to bring aerial taxis to the city and then signed an agreement with the Road and Transport Authority to be the exclusive provider.
“What you saw today is phase one,” Mr Papadopoulos said. “We were able to bring an aircraft here, fly on a regular basis to be able to demonstrate the performance of this aircraft for a Dubai-type of operation, particularly thinking about temperatures and humidity.
“Over the next few months, you will see us come in here and fly in additional capacities as we get into the commercialisation next year.”
Joby Aviation’s test flight – in pictures
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Joby Aviation carries out the region's first electric air taxi test flight in Dubai. All Photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National -
The aircraft will be able to carry four passengers, as well as a pilot, with the service set to be introduced in Dubai in 2026. -
The aircraft can travel at up to 320kph. -
Pilot Peter Wilson discusses the technology used by the aircraft in Dubai. -
Didier Papadopoulos, of Joby Aviation, discusses the company's aims for its services in the UAE. -
The service is to be 'widely accessible' using a smartphone app, the company has said. -
The air taxi is capable of a vertical take-off and landing, and can travel up to 160km. -
Flights have been monitored at Joby's test centre in Dubai.
Joby, which flew its first piloted test flight in New York a few years ago, said Dubai was selected to launch commercial operations due to the co-operation with the RTA and regulatory agencies, such as the General Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.
“The problem we're trying to solve is congestion around cities, connecting people from point A to point B and these are really common problem statements around the world,” Mr Papadopoulos said.
“In New York we're definitely focusing on making progress there and with the regulatory agency, the FAA [Federal Aviation Authority].
“We were very fortunate to have this relationship in Dubai and the UAE with the RTA, GCAA, DCAA, where they were open to introducing this airplane and rolling it out first. So, we took this opportunity and this collaboration to be able to start here, in addition to the US development.”
