Climate (MENA) 
Egypt Edition 
UAE 
Saudi Edition 
MENA <> India Corridor 
Logistics (MENA) 
Share
Read Full Issue 
W for air e-mobility in Saudi Arabia: KSA’s Neom and German flying taxi maker Volocopter have successfully tested the kingdom’s first electric air taxi, according to a statement. The flight test campaign of the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) ran for a week after 18 months of collaboration between Neom, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, and Volocopter to implement an electric urban air mobility (UAM) ecosystem and testbed at Neom.
What were they testing? The one-week campaign focused on the flight performance of the eVTOL in the local environment and its integration into the local unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM) system.
Background: The testing comes months after Neom said it was investing USD 175 mn in Volocopter last year as part of a plan to roll out an advanced air mobility industry in the country. The investment gave Neom a “significant stake” in the German company, according to statements at the time.
What are eVTOLs again? These drone-like aircraft use electric propulsion and large omnidirectional fans to allow them to takeoff vertically, making them energy efficient, quiet, environmentally friendly, and eventually pilotless. Beyond their use as air taxis, the vehicles are expected to be able to operate on an inter-city basis and even be used for cargo shipping.
All part of an ambitious plan by Neom: Volocopter’s eVTOLs will be essential to the Saudi mega city’s smart and sustainable multimodal mobility system, which will be fully powered by renewables, the statement read. Their roles will include being used as air taxis and emergency response vehicles.
And the UAE is on an eVTOL drive: The UAE has been marking its eVTOLs debut, with Abu Dhabi-based infrastructure investment company Monarch Holding signing in May an agreement with China-based autonomous and electric air mobility company Ehang Holding to establish a manufacturing facility for eVTOL aircrafts and drones. The facility is set to be one of its kind in the region. The agreement came a few months after Canadian air mobility infrastructure developer Vports signed an agreement with UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah Airport to set up and operate a vertiport designed for eVTOL aircrafts.
