Air taxi vertiports will make travelling in the skies as easy as ordering a ride-hailing cab like an Uber, for a similar cost – that was a promise from exhibitors on the opening day of Dubai Airshow.
At an event historically dominated by airlines and private jets, the emergence of drones as a viable option for mass transport signalled a new era for commercial flight. Aerial taxi operators showed how passenger drone services will take shape in Dubai, ahead of a full commercial launch next year.
Passengers will soon be able to hail a drone to fly between Dubai International Airport, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina and Business Bay. Oliver Walker-Jones, head of marketing for Joby Aviation, said that was just the start of plans to build a nationwide network.
“We've got these four different take-off and landing points confirmed but that’s only the beginning,” he told The National. “We would like it to be much more widespread and we think there's great scope to build these in lots of different places.
“That means a more dense network in Dubai but it also is the opportunity to go further afield. We already have an arrangement with Ras Al Khaimah to work there, with Marjan Island an obvious choice.
“Eventually, we would love to cover all the Emirates so we can move people back and forth everywhere. The real goal is flying between Dubai to Abu Dhabi at 320kph, in a straight line, with no traffic.”
Dial and fly
In the exhibition centre at Dubai World Central, service operators gave visitors an insight into how a dial-and-fly service for drone travel would look in the near future.
After pick-up, passengers are given a unique bar code to access a vertiport departure lounge, before boarding a four-seater drone to beat the traffic and arrive at their destination in minutes.
Joby has a six-year exclusive arrangement with the Roads and Transport Authority to provide air taxi services in Dubai. The company will be the sole provider of aerial taxi services in the emirate, with US firm Archer Aviation looking to launch its four-seater Midnight passenger drone in Abu Dhabi.
It has yet to be established whether rival operators will be allowed to share vertiports but Mr Walker-Jones welcomed the competition to keep up with anticipated high demand, with passengers paying by the seat.
“This sector will grow and there will be plenty of operators and players all around the world,” he said. “This technology should work wherever there's traffic, so we see huge potential for lots of different companies to be successful in the field.
“For the initial pricing, we'll be looking at something similar to Uber Black pricing, with an ambition to get that down to something closer to the lower Uber categories over time. We're going to start small, with two or three vehicles but they'll be everywhere before you know it.”
Document-free air travel
Elsewhere at the air show, among the multibillion-dollar deals announced by commercial airlines, aviation technological advancements took centre stage.
While autonomous drones were displayed by Abu Dhabi defence company Edge, piloted service drones resembling an 'Iron Man' suit were displayed by Chinese construction firms to work on high-rise buildings.
Out on the airport’s runway, nestled among the dozens of airliners, private jets and helicopters, were military aircraft, including a JF17 Thunder owned by the Pakistan Air Force.
Meanwhile, Emirates announced a bumper deal for 65 new Boeing 777-9 passenger planes but it was the airline’s document-free, smart check-in corridor that turned heads.
A step-up from the smart gates used around the world, the smart corridor allows passengers to board flights without the need for showing a passport or boarding pass.
Once biometrics are registered via the Emirates app, using similar smartphone facial recognition software, the technology aims to improve passenger flow through the airport. The technology is already being used at first and business-class lounges in Dubai.
“What we are trying to do is to have all the passenger’s details in advance without them needing to show their documents at the gate,” an Emirates crew member said. “The aim is to make the passenger airport experience seamless, from arrival to take-off.”
