You’ll soon be able to take a 10-minute low-cost flight between some of Dubai’s busiest landmarks.
The traffic-busting flying taxis are expected to arrive in Dubai at the end of next year with flights taking off from four key points of the city initially.
A collaboration between the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, JOBY Aviation and Skyports Infrastructure, the air taxi is set to transform public transport as we know it.
Tests will be carried out on the aircraft over the next year and a half and, once completed, it will see Dubai become the first city in the world to have inner-city air transport.
But how much will it cost to use? Where will it fly to? And will you still get to scroll through TikTok in the back seat? All this and more will be answered below.
So, where will the Dubai flying taxi fly to?
It has been confirmed that the first four vertiports (which allow taxis to take off and land vertically) will be placed at Dubai International Airport, Dubai Downtown, Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah.
But plans outlined by the manufacturers JOBY Aviation, are for the air taxi to eventually be as common as taking a bus in the city.
Plans have also been outlined for air taxis to eventually travel between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Right, but when will we be able to fly in a Dubai flying taxi?
Tests continue to be carried out on the air taxi in California and, soon, in the desert in the UAE.
Once those tests are completed we can expect them to take to the Dubai skies by late 2025.
Ok, but won’t the Dubai flying taxi be really expensive?
Not necessarily, the aim is for tickets to cost no more than a ride in an Uber Black but will take roughly a third of the time that a car would to get across the city.
And, since Uber is a global partner of Joby Aviation, you can expect to book a ride using the ride-hailing app.
How long will a flight take in a Dubai flying taxi?
A journey between DXB and Palm Jumeirah will take around 10 minutes as opposed to the 45 minutes it currently takes.
It will be able to carry a pilot plus four passengers and fly at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.
At the vertiport, getting in and out of the air taxi will take only a matter of minutes and isn’t expected to have the same stringent security checks that a flight out of DXB would take.
Is it safe?
It is, and tests will continue to be held to absolutely guarantee that it will be as safe as possible when it eventually launches.
With six rotors on each aircraft, there’s an additional bit of security when flying as opposed to the one rotor in a helicopter.
Ok, ok. Anything else I should know about the Dubai flying taxi?
Yes, they will be electric vehicles so won’t cause pollution during the flight. This also means they will be much, much quieter than any helicopter flight so you won’t need to put up with a lot of extra city noise.
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Flights will be between 1,000 and 3,000 feet in the air and, we’re told, you should still have a mobile phone signal so if you just can’t stop scrolling through TikTok or need to send that text then you’ll still be able to.
On launch, there will likely just be a few vehicles but JOBY Aviation say they plan to eventually have a fleet of around 100 taking to the sky.
And for those worried about traffic jams moving from the roads to the skies, the manufacturers say it’s unlikely that you would see more than one in the air when you look up.
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