Delivery by drone would fly along with air taxis in Dubai, experts say
Drone deliveries that are cheaper and 20 times more efficient than land vehicles could complement an air taxi service planned for Dubai in 2026, experts say.
Innovators discussed the merits of transforming deliveries from road to air at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, as a method of cutting traffic and pollution.
It also emerged that Dubai is scheduled to begin production of components of the new Joby Aviation air taxis, as the California-based aerospace company prepares to start services in the UAE.
Ahmed Bahrozyan, chief executive of the Public Transport Agency of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said the first six air taxis for the Emirates will be US-built, but the UAE could take up manufacturing the vehicles.
“The contract between us and Joby Aviation allows us and them to explore moving parts of the manufacturing process into the UAE,” Mr Bahrozyan told the Arabian Radio Network.
“The range of the vehicle may allow it to do intercity trips as well, so maybe in the future we can also make trips to other emirates.
“Eventually, the Joby’s strategy is to move towards autonomy, so there’s a vision to have this become an autonomous taxi.”
On the sidelines of the summit, it was announced that vertiport infrastructure for the advanced air mobility industry would be developed by Skyports.
A partnership between the RTA, Skyports and Joby Aviation means air taxis will take to the skies in 2026.
“The Dubai air taxi initiative is part of the RTA’s efforts to embrace future transportation technologies and enable fast, safe, and convenient travel to key city spots,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of authority.
The network will initially include four vertiports located by Dubai International Airport, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Downtown and Dubai Marina.
A journey from Dubai airport to Palm Jumeirah is expected to take 10 minutes by air compared to 45 minutes by car.
JoeBen Bevirt, American entrepreneur and the founder and chief executive of Joby Aviation, said air taxis have been designed to cut noise.
“We looked at both the absolute noise level, but also the quality of the sound,” he said.
“It is not just a product, but something that will be widely accessible – that was part of the thesis in designing an air taxi that is 20 times as productive as the car on the ground.”
Aviation analysts said drone deliveries had transformed access to medical supplies in hard-to-reach areas of Africa, while a similar model may be ready for the UAE.
In Rwanda, ZipLine drone operators cut delivery times of supplies to medical centres from eight hours by road in the wet season to 30 minutes.
Adam Grosser, chairman of UP Partners, an early-stage venture capital fund, said the success showed how day-to-day deliveries can be revolutionised.
“What’s happened over the last 10 years has been a real evolution in drone systems and how you integrate with the retailer,” Mr Grosser said in the Soaring Innovations forum at the summit.
“Consumer acceptance is public acceptance, this is a big part of making this successful.”
Mr Grosser said there are concerns among the public that drones will fly close to houses, invade privacy and cause noise and disruption.
“But I can tell you from having done hundreds of thousands of deliveries that transit speeds are between 70 and 90mph [113 to 145kph], and that the convenience outweighs most people’s concerns,” he said.
“If you think about embedded costs of [road] delivery, you have the depreciation of the vehicle, insurance, fuel and a human being – so it costs around $12 or $13 if you’re really good.
“Drones are below that [cost] and will trend lower as the systems scale up.”
Dubai aims to introduce air taxis in the city in the next two years that are expected to reduce travel time significantly, as the emirate seeks to reduce urban traffic congestion.
UK-based Skyports Infrastructure has signed an agreement with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority and all-electric aircraft company Joby Aviation to launch passenger air taxi services in the emirate by 2026.
Under the agreement, the authority will oversee the air mobility services, with Joby given the exclusive right to operate air taxis in Dubai for six years.
Skyports was granted exclusive rights to design, construct and operate a network of vertiports – launch and landing areas for the air taxis.
With the agreement, Dubai will become the first location in the world with a commercial, citywide electric air taxi service, Skyports said. The initial network will include four vertiports located by Dubai International Airport, the Palm Jumeirah, Downtown Dubai and Dubai Marina. A journey from the airport to the Palm Jumeirah is expected to take 10 minutes by air taxi, compared with 45 minutes by car.
The Joby Aviation S4 aircraft, which has a maximum speed of 321kph, will be able to accommodate the pilot and four passengers.
It has six propellers and four battery packs, allowing it to travel a maximum distance of 161km.
“The Dubai air taxi initiative is part of the RTA’s efforts to embrace future transportation technologies,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the authority.
Joby displayed the aircraft at the World Governments Summit, the first time the air taxi was seen in the region.
“We’re looking forward to delivering an incredible experience for residents and visitors to Dubai as early as 2025 and we’re excited to be laying the groundwork for expansion across the wider UAE,” said JoeBen Bevirt, chief executive and founder of Joby Aviation.
Joby intends to recruit locally for the majority of its operational team in Dubai.
Duncan Walker, founder and chief executive of Skyports, said the pact with RTA marked “a significant step” towards the launch of commercial air taxi services in Dubai. “The industry has never been closer to making it a reality.” he said. The RTA and Skyports on Sunday unveiled a preliminary design concept for a vertiport near Dubai International Airport.
The design features a parking structure, with a vertiport terminal on the top deck. The vertiport will be connected to the Emirates Metro station.
Consultancy McKinsey predicts the global electric aircraft market will be worth about $17.8 billion by 2028, with demand for all-electric vehicles set to grow sixfold by 2030.