Dubai has uncovered its modern air taxi prototype at the iconic Museum of the Future. This gives wings to Dubai’s ambitious plan to achieve 25% self-driving trips by 2030, with aerial taxis playing a pivotal role.
The state-of-the-art air taxi, developed by Joby Aviation and the city’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), showcases the emirate’s commitment to pioneering smart and sustainable mobility solutions. The fully electric Joby S4 aircraft boasts the following features —
- vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) technology
- zero emissions
- the capacity to carry four passengers and a pilot
- a range of 161 kilometers
- speeds exceeding 320 km/h
The air taxi will drastically reduce travel times across Dubai. For instance, one can cover the distance of 36.4 km when traveling from Dubai International Airport to Palm Jumeirah in just 12 minutes; currently, it takes 36 minutes to cover this distance via E11.
The air taxi service is slated to commence operations in the first quarter of 2026. Initial routes linking key locations include —
- Dubai International Airport
- Downtown Dubai
- Dubai Marina
- Palm Jumeirah
Plans are afoot to give shape to a designated vertiport infrastructure that will support up to 42,000 landings annually and serve nearly 170,000 passengers. This innovative transportation solution is in sync with Dubai’s Self-Driving Transport Strategy and underscores the city’s vision of adopting advanced urban mobility technologies.