Imagine arriving at the airport in Dubai, then hopping onboard a sleek, eco-friendly eVTOL and arriving at Palm Jumeirah in mere minutes instead of being stuck in a 45-minute road crawl.
That’s right! Traffic will soon be a thing of the past as Dubai is turning the city into a playground for jet-set commuters. According to Khaled Al Awadhi, Director of the Transportation Systems Department at Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), fully electric air taxis are set to soar above the streets in Q1 2026 as part of the emirate’s next-level Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) strategy.
From terminal to turbine: landing zones
The first of four cutting-edge vertiports is already underway, thanks to Joby Aviation and Skyports Infrastructure teaming up with RTA to make it happen. The locations include
- Dubai International Airport (DXB)
- Palm Jumeirah
- Dubai Marina
- Downtown Dubai
These vertiports will be sleek hubs with electric charging, efficient boarding, and seamless integration with the ground-based ride.
Set to revolutionise transportation, Dubai’s electric air shuttles are set to whisk four passengers and a pilot across the city at speeds of up to 320 km/h while operating quieter than rainfall, and producing zero emissions, making them an eco-friendly alternative to traditional helicopters.
Commention on a futuristic commute happening right now, Khaled Al Awadhi, RTA’s Transportation Systems Director, puts it best:
“The project is considered an ambitious step in the field of autonomous air transportation… the air taxi is expected to serve different areas of the city, with a focus on linking the service to hotels and the airport.”
On bypassing traffic congestions, Tyler Trerotola, Joby Aviation’s GM for the Middle East, added:
“These electric air taxis will operate from four vertiports: Dubai International Airport (DXB), Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina and Dubai Downtown. They are designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at 320 km/h, which means passengers can get from Dubai International Airport to Palm Jumeirah in 10-12 minutes as compared with 45 minutes by car.”
Skyports Infrastructure, RTA, and Joby are working in sync to ensure these flying machines feel as natural as hailing a cab, only elevated, obviously, and we can’t to try them out come 2026.
