Dubai’s aerial taxi plan has moved from concept to reality — the Roads and Transport Authority says the Dubai Air Taxi project is about 80% complete and set for first operations next year. This progress, announced at mobility forums around the World Governments Summit 2026, underlines Dubai’s push to link vertiports, autonomous road vehicles, and cleaner public transit.
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RTA rollout: what’s ready and what’s next
Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and partners have logged major milestones this year. A first crewed eVTOL test flight with Joby has been completed, marking a technical milestone for passenger-grade electric aerial taxis. Vertiport build-outs and the integration platform are reportedly advancing rapidly, as the authority prepares for a phased commercial rollout.
80% project completion and timelines
RTA briefings and local coverage say the programme is roughly 80% complete and targeted for Q1–2026 operations in selected routes linking hotels, airports, and downtown hubs. Officials emphasise safety checks, pilot training, and vertiport readiness before scaling up.
How driverless cars fit into Dubai’s mobility plan
The same strategy links road autonomy to the air taxi programme. Dubai’s Autonomous Transportation Strategy 2030 — a policy aiming to shift a substantial share of trips to self-driving modes — is being folded into the broader RTA Dubai mobility architecture. Trials with autonomous shuttles and collaborations with tech partners continue as the city designs traffic-management integration and regulatory frameworks.
Leadership and the global testbed case
Mattar Al Tayer and RTA executives have made Dubai a visible testbed, inviting private players and international firms to co-develop vehicles, vertiports, and ITS systems. The World Governments Summit 2026 provided a stage to showcase pilots and attract investment.
Dubai’s multi-modal plan — anchored by the Dubai Air Taxi, rolling tests of driverless cars, and the Autonomous Transportation Strategy 2030 — puts the emirate on an accelerated path to integrated, low-emission mobility. Technical tests are proving feasibility; the near-term challenge will be scaling safe operations while winning public confidence.
