Dubai is set to launch commercial air taxi services by the end of the year, according to the emirate’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
RTA Director General and Chairman Mattar Al Tayer said on Friday that the electric air taxis developed by U.S.-based Joby Aviation are expected to begin carrying passengers before the end of 2026.
The RTA said the air taxis will offer a faster alternative to road travel, particularly during peak hours. Journeys that can take up to 45 minutes by car are expected to be reduced to around 10 minutes by air.
The aircraft are fully electric, produce zero operational emissions, and are designed to operate quietly in densely populated areas.
Each vehicle can carry a pilot and up to four passengers, with ranges of up to 160 kilometres (100 miles) at speeds reaching 320km/h (200mph) on a single charge.
Several purpose-built “vertiports” are under development to support the service. The first is located near Dubai International Airport, with additional sites planned in areas including Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah.
Officials say the air taxis will be integrated into Dubai’s wider public transport network, with passengers able to book flights through digital platforms. Pricing details have not yet been announced, but authorities say the service will be positioned as a premium transport option.
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Iran attacked and set ablaze a fully loaded crude oil tanker off Dubai on Monday, as President Donald Trump warned the U.S. would obliterate Iran's energy plants and oil wells if it does not open the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian President Pezeshkian has confirmed the killing of intelligence minister Esmail Khatib calling it a "cowardly assassination", following reports that Israel carried out an overnight strike.
The prevailing security situation in the region has done little to deter entrepreneurs from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) who continue to view Dubai as a premier and safe location for business.
Air fares between Asia and Europe have surged after major Gulf hubs, including Dubai, partially reopened following closures linked to the conflict between Israel, the U.S. and Iran. Airlines are still rerouting flights around restricted airspace, cutting economy seat supply and pushing up prices.
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
There are fears of an oil spill after a drone strike hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker near Dubai on Tuesday, while U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran reportedly killed at least two people. A loud explosion was heard in Beirut in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, as oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel.
Russian-flagged tanker carrying approximately 700,000 barrels of crude oil docked at Cuba's Matanzas oil terminal on Tuesday, shipping data confirmed, marking a vital and controversial delivery to an island paralysed by severe energy shortages and a suffocating U.S. blockade.
Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday on NASA's Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States' boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China.
Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus as Israeli air defences intercepted Iranian missiles, Syrian state television reported on Tuesday.
Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday on NASA's Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States' boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China.
NASA is preparing to launch Artemis II with four astronauts on a roughly 10-day mission around the Moon, marking its most ambitious human spaceflight in decades and a key step towards returning astronauts to the lunar surface ahead of China.
NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.
The four astronauts selected for NASA’s Artemis II mission have arrived in Florida, entering the final phase of preparations for the first crewed journey towards the Moon in more than five decades
NASA announced on Tuesday it has cancelled plans to deploy a space station in lunar orbit and will instead use components from the project to build a $20 billion base on the moon's surface, while also planning to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars.
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