Airports
UAE Approves First ‘Hybrid Heliport’ Design for Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal to support both helicopter and eVTOL air taxi services
Digital rendering of the Archer Midnight eVTOL on a helipad at the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal
Archer’s four-passenger Midnight eVTOL aircraft could operate alongside traditional helicopters and other electric air taxis at a “hybrid heliport” coming to the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal at Zayed Port. © Archer Aviation

The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has approved the design for what is expected to become Abu Dhabi’s first “hybrid heliport”—a facility supporting both helicopters and eVTOL aircraft.

Plans call for a major transformation of an existing cruise ship terminal at Zayed Port, where helicopter operator Falcon Aviation Services offers sightseeing flights for tourists. According to Falcon, which led the design of the new hybrid heliport, about 650,000 tourists pass through that port annually.