FutureFlight
Dubai Ruler Gives Go-ahead for Vertiport Network Plans
The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, working with ground infrastructure group Skyports, has identified four initial sites to build vertiports to support eVTOL air taxi services that are expected to start in 2026.
Dubai International Airport is one of four locations for a network of vertiports.
Four locations in Dubai have been identified for the first phase of a network of vertiports to be developed by the emirate's Roads and Transport Authority with Skyports Infrastructure. (Image: Skyports)

Dubai’s ruler, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has approved plans to develop vertiports as part of the emirate’s future air mobility infrastructure network. The decision was announced on February 14 following a joint presentation by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) with Skyports Infrastructure and eVTOL aircraft developer Joby Aviation at the start of the 2023 World Government Summit.

The RTA’s plans call for a vertiport network to be in place to support the launch of air taxi services in 2026. Working with Skyports, the agency has identified sites for vertiports at Dubai International Airport, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Downtown, and Dubai Marina. These facilities are expected to provide travelers with easy connections to Dubai’s metro network.