Dubai aiming to launch air taxi service by 2026
Visitors to Dubai usually make the Burj Khalifa one of their first stops: After all, as the world’s tallest building, the 830-metre skyscraper offers stunning views of one of the world's wealthiest cities.
From 2026, those vistas could include twin-rotor helicopter-style 4-seat electric aircraft zooming between buildings, now that Joby Aviation has signed a deal with the local Road and Transport Authority (RTA) to launch air taxi services.
California-based Joby is to get 6 years’ exclusive rights to provide Dubai with the service, which it claimed it could start in 2025.
The operations are to be offered with British company Skyports, who, according to Joby "will design, build and operate four initial vertiport sites across Dubai."
Vertiports are envisaged as a cross between small airports/helipads and taxi stands, where the electric taxis will touch down to let passengers off and on.
The four stops in Dubai are to be the airport, one of the world’s busiest, along with Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina and the city’s downtown.
Flying at up to 320 km/h, the taxis should get from Dubai International Airport to Palm Jumeirah in 10 minutes, less than a quarter of the usual by car, and could offer views of the emirate that rival or overshadow those from near the top of the Burj Khalifa.
Electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) are seen by proponents as low-emissions alternatives to helicopters that could help reduce congestion with Archer Aviation, a rival to Joby, aiming to introduce electric air taxis to some of India’s big cities, also by 2026. Joby recently launched New York’s first electric air taxi service.
But others, including the University of Michigan and Ford, have warned that the eVTOLs use up significant amounts of energy when lifting off - more than electric cars, for example. But the electric or hybrid car industry has faced similar criticisms, with China, where many leading manufacturers are based, also the world's biggest user of coal to generate electricity.
