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Dubai Plans to Launch Flying Taxis by 2026

Written by Abdullah Shahid ·  1 min read >
Dubai Flying taxi
Attending the World Government Summit, the UAE’s Vice-President ‘Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’ approved design and locations for air taxi stations in Dubai

Imagine waiting at a station for a flying taxi to come pick you up and drop you off at your office. Sounds dreamy right? Well, according to recent statements from UAE leadership, this might be a possibility for Dubai citizens by 2026.

Attending the World Government Summit, the UAE’s Vice-President ‘Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’ approved design and locations for air taxi stations in Dubai.

The UAE Vice President in his recent tweet said that air taxis will begin operating in Dubai after three years. “From the World Government Summit, we approved today the design of the new air taxi stations in Dubai, which will start operating within 3 years” he wrote.

For these air taxis to fly and land, UAE will have to build special ‘vertiports’, which is basically an infrastructure which assists electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts to fly and land easily.

Flying through the majority parts of Dubai, these air taxis are planned to link four key parts of the city. This includes the Dubai International Airport, Downtown Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, and Dubai Marina.

Accommodating around 4 passengers and a pilot, these air taxis will blaze through the skies at a burning speed of around 300 km/h. Guess Dubai residents won’t have an excuse to be late, right?

During its announcement at the World Government Summit, people were given the opportunity to virtually experience flying taxis, allowing them to get a feel of what’s packed up for the future.

Authorities in Dubai are working towards making the Air Taxi project a success. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is actively working with Skysports Infrastructure and Joby Aviation to develop a seamless air taxi network by 2026.

 

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