Flying Taxi Company Agrees to Build Vertiports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi

A flying taxi company and an aviation services operator agreed to develop a state-of-the-art vertiport infrastructure to facilitate eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) flights between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Archer Aviation and Falcon Aviation plan to develop vertiports at Falcon Heliport at Atlantis, the Palm in Dubai and the Marina Mall heliport in Abu Dhabi’s Corniche.

Vertiports are needed for flying vehicles to take off and land, pick up and drop off passengers and have batteries charged or changed. Most EAVs take off and land straight up and down, eliminating the need for traditional aircraft runways.

Archer and Falcon Aviation plan to offer passenger service in Archer’s Midnight flying vehicle between the two Falcon vertiports, which would operate over water with scenic views of both cities.

The typical two-hour drive between cities is expected to be converted to a 30-minute total trip by electric aerial vehicle (EAV).

“Partnering with established operators such as Falcon Aviation, as well as the capital of the Emirates with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, has been key to quickly building our presence in the region,” said Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein. “We look forward to paving the way for the introduction of our Midnight aircraft to the region which will set the stage for the UAE to become a global leader in urban air mobility.”

Related:Flying Taxi Company Moving to Production; Final Testing Next

Falcon Aviation also operates a helicopter passenger transportation company in the United Arab Emirates. 

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding last year, with Falcon Aviation agreeing to operate scores of Archer’s Midnight.

The UAE is set to be its first international launch market as soon as next year. It follows a deal with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office announced last year. That deal involved promises of economic incentives to help accelerate Archer’s growth in the region.

Archer recently started construction of the first three of its flying taxi vehicles to be used for the federal approval process. The company is working on final assembly for piloted EAVs, which are aimed at flight testing and subsequent uses in “for credit” flight testing with the FAA.

Joby Aviation, the other leading flying taxi developer, has developed an air taxi designed to carry a pilot and four passengers and travel at speeds of up to 200 mph.

There also are smaller EAVs being developed, such as those by Volocopter in Germany and EHang in China, both of which are designed to carry one or two people. In the case of EHang, the EAV is designed to fly pilotless.

Related:Air Taxi Company Plans to Build 650 Vehicles a Year

Both Archer and Joby have been working on developing their flying vehicles for years. The first commercial use in the U.S. is expected in 2025 or 2026, pending all the required FAA approvals.

Archer manufacturing is being done in Covington, Georgia and Joby selected Dayton, Ohio, as the location to build facilities to deliver up to 500 flying vehicles a year.

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