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2h ago

Dubai Logs First Crewed eVTOL Taxi Flight as DXB Vertiport Reaches 60% Completion

The city plans a four-vertiport network to support a 2026 commercial launch.

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Dubai completes the first crewed eVTOL air taxi flight as RTA confirms journey times, vertiport locations and 320 kmph aircraft specifications ahead of 2026 launch
Joby Aviation is playing a leading role in the rise of the UAE's flying taxi sector. Dubai has successfully completed the region’s first test flight of the Joby Aerial Taxi. Conducted through a collaboration between the Roads and Transport Authority and Joby Aviation, the test flight marks a major step toward launching full operations next year. The all-electric aerial taxi represents a new leap in eco-friendly urban mobility — reducing travel times, enhancing quality of life, and advancing sustainable development. This pioneering initiative is part of the UAE’s broader vision to lead the world in innovation and the deployment of advanced technologies. Our nation's skies have opened to new possibilities, and the best is yet to come. Photo: Joby Aviation
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Overview

  • Joby Aviation, working with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, flew a piloted electric air taxi 17 minutes from the Dubai Jetman Helipad in Margham to Al Maktoum International Airport.
  • Skyports says the primary vertiport near Dubai International Airport has reached its highest structural point at 60% completion, spanning 3,100 square metres across four floors with pads, charging, parking and air‑conditioned passenger areas.
  • Design capacity for the DXB hub is about 42,000 landings and roughly 170,000 passengers per year.
  • Three additional vertiports are planned for Zabeel Dubai Mall (Emaar), Atlantis The Royal on Palm Jumeirah, and Dubai Marina at the American University in Dubai site (Wasl), forming the initial 2026 network.
  • Joby reports its eVTOL has six rotors, four battery packs, up to 160 km range and a 320 km/h top speed, and says it is in the final phase of FAA Type Certification, as UAE partners coordinate regulations and Abu Dhabi advances plans for around 10 vertiports.