A design for a new air taxi station in Dubai has been approved by one of the UAE’s Vice-Presidents, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, at the World Government Summit in Abu Dhabi.
As he tweeted, Dubai will become the world’s first city that has a fully built network of vertiports within three years, and it will be the first city to operate air taxis in three years. An electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) airport is also known as a verticport, and is a place where electric aircraft, such as air taxis, can take off and land.
It is expected that the air taxis will be able to fly at speeds up to 300 kph and will have a range of 241 km. A taxi will be able to accommodate a pilot and four passengers at a time. Dubai International Airport, Downtown Dubai, the Palm Jumeirah, and Dubai Marina will be part of the vertiport network that will connect Dubai’s four key areas.
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As part of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Skyports Infrastructure and Joby Aviation are working with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority to design and develop the network of air taxis by the year 2026. From the very beginning to the very end, the objective of this project is to provide passengers with a seamless zero-emission ride, from start to finish.
At the summit, the RTA also displayed a simulator that offered attendees the chance to experience what flying taxis are like. As a result of its vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, this aircraft will be able to have a rapid turnaround time.
