Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan Approves Building of First Aerial Taxi Landing Station
Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved plans on Tuesday to build the emirate’s first aerial taxi station near Dubai International Airport.
Aerial taxi vertiport
The aerial taxi vertiport will cover 3,100 square meters and include areas for take-off and landing, a special parking area for the taxis, and a place for the taxis to wait. It will handle 42,000 landings every year and serve around 170,000 riders annually. The service is expected to start in early 2026.
The US company Joby Aviation will be in charge of making the aerial taxis, operating them, and moving passengers. Skyports, based in London, will handle the design, construction, and operation of the vertiport itself.
Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) will manage the vertiport and connect it to other transport systems. The aerial taxis will be Joby S4, which are eco-friendly electric vehicles that produce zero emissions. These taxis can take off and land vertically, using six rotors and four battery packs. They can fly up to 161 kilometers at speeds of 321 km per hour and carry four passengers plus a pilot. They are also much quieter than regular helicopters.
New Transport Option
Mattar Al Tayer, the director-general and chairman of the RTA, said that in the first phase of the project, aerial taxi services will start from four main locations near Dubai International Airport, Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina, and Palm Jumeirah.
This service will give people in Dubai a fast and safe way to travel to important places in the city. It will cut travel time greatly. For example, a trip from Dubai International Airport to Palm Jumeirah, which normally takes 45 minutes by car, will now take just about 12 minutes.
Al Tayer also mentioned that the service will work well with other types of public transport, like e-scooters and bicycles, helping people move easily around the city.
Key background
In February, the RTA (Roads and Transport Authority) made an agreement with the General Civil Aviation Authority, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Skyports Infrastructure, and Joby Aviation to start a new service. This is the first time a government organization, an aircraft maker and operator, and a vertiport owner and operator have worked together in this way. Al Tayer said the project is part of the RTA’s plan to adopt new transportation technologies for the future.
Published: 13th November 2024
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