His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, has given the green light for the design and location of Flying taxi stations in the city, with plans to launch Dubai flying taxis within three years.
Dubai Air Taxis will initially fly from four locations will be DXB airport, Downtown, Palm Jumeirah, Marina. Dubai air taxi plan is for the flying taxis to have a theoretical top speed of 300kmph and to be able to fly 241km.
“Today, we approved the designs of flying taxi stations in Dubai which will operate within three years,” His Highness Sheikh Mohammed tweeted. A video shared by His Highness shows that the emirate will be the first location in the world with a fully developed network of vertiports (the name given to the stations where flying taxis can take off and land).
The flying taxis will have zero emissions and be able to carry four passengers and a pilot. The RTA has partnered with international aviation experts Skyports Infrastructure and Joby Aviation to develop the air taxi plans. Speaking about the electric vehicle take-off and landing machines (eVTOL), His Highness Sheikh Mohammed says the flying taxis will take flight from 2026. Additionally, in December, the UAE introduced new regulations to govern the emerging flying taxi industry when the General Civil Aviation Authority published world-first national regulation related to vertiports.
