As part of the recent agreement securing the launch of air taxi services by Joby in Dubai, Skyports Infrastructure has been contracted to oversee the construction of vertiports the activity will require – a critical element that has tended to be overlooked in the excitement surrounding nearing next generation aviation.
Expand Expanding Close
eVTOL developer Joby Aviation has signed a definitive agreement with the government of Dubai to begin air taxi operations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), sweetened by the exclusive rights to aerial operations in the country’s capitol for six years.
Expand Expanding Close
Communication systems and aerial tech firm Ondas Holdings has announced its Airobotics unit has secured a $2.6 million contract with Dubai to supply its Optimus drone platform for public safety and emergency response deployment.
Expand Expanding Close
Dubai has renewed a previous pledge to be one of the world’s early deployers of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), this time setting a 2026 launch objective for air taxi services in the city-state and commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Expand Expanding Close
A new ad commercial from the UAE’s Emirates Airline has taken the internet by storm. It shows a cabin staff member in the iconic red Emirates hat and uniform, standing atop the tallest point of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Many have wondered if the nail-biting video was real or fake. So now, Emirates has released behind-the-scenes footage showing how this seemingly insane feat was made possible – and that too with a single drone!
Expand Expanding Close
A passenger flying from Dubai into India’s Kempegowda International Airport was caught trying to get four DJI Phantom 4 drones, 1.3 kilograms (2.9 pounds) of gold, and four iPhones into the country. The man was caught after getting off a flight at 3 a.m.
Expand Expanding Close
Dubai has turned its entertainment up a notch with a drone light show to celebrate the Dubai Shopping Festival packed with deals and live entertainment over the festive season. The drone show will continue to fly every day until the end of the festival on January 30th.
Expand Expanding Close
As their latest publicity stunt, the Dubai Police department just took ownership of their first hoverbike. The Hoversurf Hoverbike first showed up on the scene in early 2017, back when Hoversurf was still a Russian outfit. Now they are a “California based company,” in the land where dreams come true and FOMO (fear of missing out) money is plentiful. Not that customers are lining up to buy the human blender. The $150,000 hoverbike had to be gifted to the same Dubai police department that can afford Aston Martin and Bugatti supercars.
Dubai has had their first test-flights with the drone, called the Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT). The city claims that the vehicle will be the world’s first “self-flying taxi service.” The AAT was supplied by the German manufacturer Volocopter and offers an environmentally friendly, fully electric ‘cab flight’. The prototype has a maximum flight time of 30 minutes at a cruising speed of 31 mph. Its maximum speed is 62mph.
