RTA, Joby to bring air taxis to the UAE soon:Dubai'sRoad and Transport Authority (RTA) inked an agreement with electric aircraft developer Joby Aviation to launch air taxi services in the UAE by early 2026, Joby said in a statement. The manufacturer, which was also handed the rights to operate in the emirate for six years, plans to begin initial operations as early as 2025.

The air taxis will be stationed at vertiports, slated to be located in Dubai International Airport (DXB), Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina and Dubai Downtown. Joby signed an agreement with London-based air mobility company Skyports to develop the four vertiports. Work on the vertiports will begin this year, with the DXN vertiport slated to be completed by the end of 2025, CEO of RTA’s Public Transport Agency Ahmed Bahrozyan told Khaleej Times.

The details: The taxis will be designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, slashing journey times from DXB to Palm Jumeirah to 10 minutes, down from 45 minutes by car.

Starting small: Operations will begin with a fleet of six taxis, Bahrozyan said, as the authority gauges demand and begins to “see what people are looking for.”

Background: Joby was among several smart mobility companies setting up shop in Abu Dhabi’s smart and autonomous vehicles (SAVI) cluster at Masdar City in November 2023.

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