Dubai International Unveils 'Flight to Your Flight' Vertiport Plan

Skyports and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority are aiming for development of a “network of vertiports for air taxi services” beginning in 2026.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 03:23 PM ET

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A visualization of Skyports’ and Foster + Partners’ vertiport concept at Dubai International Airport. [Courtesy: Foster + Partners]

Key Takeaways:

Dubai, under Sheikh Mohammed, has approved an ambitious project for a vertiport terminal at Dubai International Airport, developed by Foster + Partners and Skyports, to launch an air taxi service by 2026.
This vertiport aims to provide seamless "flight to your flight" travel, connecting passengers from within the city directly to their airport terminal and integrating with the Dubai Metro.
The initiative reflects a rapidly accelerating global trend in advanced air mobility, with other regions like Ras Al Khaimah, India, and the U.S. also actively developing eVTOL air taxi services and vertiport infrastructure, with some operations projected to begin as early as 2025.

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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and the prime minister, vice president, and minister of defense of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has a penchant for ambitious projects. Under his lead, the UAE in 2020 became the first Arab nation to reach Mars, and in December it set out to reach the moon.

Now, the former crown prince of Dubai has signed off on a project to transform the city’s aviation hub.