UAE first flying taxi station named DXV
The first commercial vertiport for flying taxis in the UAE, called Dubai International Vertiport (DXV), was officially named Thursday after the authorities announced the design approval.
Named after its location close to Dubai International Airport (DXB), DXV is an off-ramp for the takeoff, landing and maintenance of flying taxis that will be in operation in 2026.
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Thursday approved technical design of DXV — the first such facility under the new UAE Vertiport Regulations. The license allows Skyports Infrastructure (Skyports) to keep building the facility.
DXV is the first of four locations for a pilot air taxi infrastructure system, being constructed by Skyports with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Joby Aviation.
The "technical design approval is an important achievement in the country’s regulatory framework," Skyports and the GCAA said in a joint statement.
"The laws enable vertiport infrastructure, an important component of the future air mobility network, to be safe and secure," said Goyal. This achievement shows that the UAE is not only innovative in aviation but also globally renowned for having high-quality safety standards", they said.
Design approval process
A design of DXV, meanwhile – as the Air Taxi Project will be in 2026 – underwent "an exhaustive review of key elements" such as physical dimensions, design, airspace, obstacle landscape, and rescue and firefighting services (RFFS), where Skyports presented its firefighting approach for battery and traditional fuel fires.
The decision to accept the DXV Vertiport design "will transform city transport and set global standards for integrating new air technologies", GCAA director-general Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi stated.
"GCAA is the first to create necessary regulation to scale up and operate air taxi in UAE," said Duncan Walker, CEO of Sky Sports.
DXV capacity
It will be 3,100sqm dedicated take-off and landing space for flying taxis, near Dubai airport, which will include electric charging stations, a separate passenger area and security measures. DXV will be able to perform 42,000 landings and 170,000 passengers per year.
Officially opening the first air taxi station will start operations in the first quarter of 2026, according to officials, with four stations initially launched in the scheme. Among the first stage of the service, four strategic Dubai landing zones — Dubai International Airport, Downtown, Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah — will be available.
Comments