Dubai’s Crown Prince on Thursday announced the city’s first air taxi station — located near Dubai International Airport — was now ready.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, reviewed the progress of the purpose-built electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi station — the first of its kind in the world — which forms part of a wider network including Downtown, Palm Jumeirah, and Dubai Marina, all set to be completed by the end of this year.
The leader revealed he has directed the service to be launched for public use this year, with the first station expected to serve around 170,000 passengers annually.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
“This project is a key milestone in Dubai’s urban mobility journey, reducing travel time and bringing the city closer. We thank the Roads and Transport Authority team and our local and international partners for delivering this landmark project, aligned with World Public Transport Day on April 17. In Dubai, we turn ambition into reality,” wrote the Crown Prince.
“Today, we take another step forward with the completion of the first air taxi station, reaffirming our commitment to shaping the future of mobility. Expanding transport options, from the metro and buses to smart and air mobility, remains central to building a global city that puts people first.”
Advanced facility
The station comprises a four-storey building spanning 3,100 square metres, a two-level car park, two air taxi take-off and landing pads, dedicated charging infrastructure for air taxi vehicles, and climate-controlled passenger facilities with a capacity to serve up to 170,000 passengers annually.
The station has been developed in line with high international safety standards. Skyports Infrastructure is responsible for the design, development, and operation of the station infrastructure, while Joby Aviation, developer of the electric Air Taxi, oversees aircraft manufacturing and operations, including passenger management. RTA oversees governance of operations and ensures integration with the wider transport network.
The stations’s infrastructure has been developed in line with the highest international standards to ensure readiness for commercial operations and seamless integration with the public transport network, including the metro, buses, and shared mobility modes.
Air mobility services are set to cater to residents and visitors, while enhancing connectivity between key areas, business centres, and tourist destinations.
Journey time
The air taxi will provide a distinctive new mobility option for residents and visitors seeking fast, seamless, and safe travel between key destinations across Dubai. The journey from Dubai International Airport to Palm Jumeirah is expected to take approximately 10 minutes, compared to around 45 minutes by car.
The service will also support integration with the public transport network, as well as individual mobility modes such as electric scooters and bicycles, facilitating multimodal journeys, enhancing connectivity across the city, and delivering a seamless passenger experience.
Test flights
The completion of the air taxi station follows a year of rapid operational scaling for Joby. In November 2025, Joby completed the nation’s first piloted point-to-point air taxi flight, a 17-minute journey from its Margham test facility to Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).
This milestone was accompanied by a rigorous summer flight campaign, during which Joby conducted 21 piloted flights to validate aircraft performance in desert heat. These tests provided critical data on thermal management and flight dynamics in high-temperature, low-density air, directly supporting the finalisation of operating manuals and certification requirements for the region.
To ensure a seamless transition to passenger service, Joby is pursuing a dual certification and qualification strategy in the UAE. This framework employs a parallel regulatory approach, utilising Joby’s FAA-validated data to support the launch of commercial services in Dubai, creating a clear pathway for commercial service while allowing the GCAA to remain engaged with the FAA during the final stages of the US type certification.
Source: Khaleej Times