Travelling by air within short distances will now be possible in just 3 years’ time, thanks to Dubai’s new project to launch flying taxis by 2026.
A top official from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said that soaring in Dubai skies via air taxis could cost as little as an Uber ride in the future.
“We believe that it will be not very far from the price of a normal Uber possibly, and that’s when really it becomes a normal service that anybody can use,” said Ahmed Bahrozyan, the Chief Executive Officer of The Public Transport Agency at RTA.
However, prices for an air taxi ride could still take a while to go down.
“It may be initially that the price will be more attractive for tourists and businesspeople who really want to get from point A to point B, and as fast as possible, and are willing to pay maybe a slightly higher fee for that,” Bahrozyan said.
“Eventually, we believe as the production of the vehicles increases, the cost of technology comes down, and we start having more demand. We are confident that as we go along, it will become a day-to-day mode of transport for many people living in the city.” he added.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, already approved the design of the new air taxi stations in the city.
Furthermore, inter-city trips are also a possibility with these flying taxis. It will allow passengers to travel from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and from Dubai to Fujairah.
Talking about safety and sustainability, these air taxis are electric, so they will have zero operating emissions, a 241 km max range, and a top speed of 300km/hr.
Bahrozyan said, “We have a very, very strong safety record across all our modes taxis, buses, metro cycling, etc. So, safety is paramount for us. Sustainability now is very much at the forefront of the agenda in Dubai and the UAE. These air taxis are electric and very quiet as compared to helicopters for example.”
As for planning the vertiports, they have already shortlisted potential spots to build them. “There are a few sites that we’re looking at. We still need to do a bit more on the technical side of things to confirm. But we are confident that the shortlisted sites that we have identified in conjunction with the RTA, that we can roll out vertiport infrastructure, enabling a network by 2026,” said Daniel O’Neill from Skyports, the company building the vertiports.
