Dubai has approved a proposal to establish flying taxis in the emirate by 2026, signing agreements with Joby Aviation and Skyport Infrastructure on Sunday. The emirate will be the world’s first to offer commercial intra-city electric air taxi services.
As traffic increases year after year, the sky provides an efficient and cost-effective mode of transportation. The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority has signed a deal allowing Joby Aviation, an American company, the rights to operate air taxis in Dubai for six years.
Joby Aviation has developed a local operational team in Dubai to support the expansion of its operations and plans to hire most of its operational crew locally. Skyports, a British firm, has been granted exclusive rights to develop, construct, and operate a network of vertiports, landing and takeoff pads for air taxis. A detailed study has been done, and the architectural design for the first building phase is underway.
The Joby Aviation S4 is a battery-powered, silent aircraft that can attain a maximum speed of 321 km/h and carry a pilot and four passengers. The aircraft is being certified by the United States aviation authority, the Federal Aviation Administration, which has the world’s highest safety standards. The FAA has approved Joby’s powerplant certification plan, indicating that the aviation authority now accepts all certification plans for structural, mechanical, and electrical systems.
Flights will initially operate from four vertiports: Dubai International Airport, Palm Jumeirah, Downtown Dubai, and Dubai Marina. The trip from Dubai International Airport to Palm Jumeirah Island is projected to take approximately 10 minutes, compared to 45 minutes by automobile. The Public Transport Agency’s CEO, Ahmed Bahrozian, stated that these places were picked based on population density and tourist appeal. Intercity flights will become possible because the aircraft has a maximum flight range of 161 km.
The flying taxi pricing structure has yet to be defined. Mr Bahrozian previously told The National that the fare would be slightly higher than the usual Uber ride.
At the World Government Summit in Dubai, JoeBen Bevirt, CEO and creator of Joby Aviation, indicated that the aircraft’s speed would boost revenues.
“When you’re flying at 200 miles per hour, this pilot and this aircraft are significantly more productive in terms of passenger miles per hour,” Mr. Bevirt said. “So if you’re transporting 400 passengers at 200 miles per hour and flying 50% of the time, you’re delivering 400 passenger miles per hour, as opposed to a land vehicle that could deliver 20 passenger miles per hour.”
As a result, this aircraft is 20 times more productive than a ground vehicle in terms of the quantity of beneficial services offered to clients, which is a major component of cost savings.
