FLYING TAXIS


CHINESE AIR TAXI MAKER EHANG COMPLETES MAIDEN FLIGHT IN ABU DHABI


Flying taxi maker EHang completed the first autonomous passenger- carrying flight in the Middle East, the company said on 6 May, as it moves to expand in the region. According to the Chinese com- pany, the EH216-S, EHang’s flag- ship pilotless electric vertical take- off and landing vehicle (eVTOL), took off in Abu Dhabi, which is trying to capitalise on a burg- eoning “low-altitude” economy - industries related to aerial vehicles operating below 1,000 metres. EHang has plans to launch com-


mercial flights with its pilotless aircraft in the UAE and other parts of the Middle East, said founder and CEO, Hu Huazhi. “We will actively foster collab- oration and communications bet- ween the General Civil Aviation Authority [of the UAE] and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to expedite the progress,” Hu was quoted as saying in a statement. Late last year a strategic partner- ship was formed between EHang and Wings Logistics Hub, a


logistics tech unit under Ethmar International Holding (EIH), an Abu Dhabi-based investment vehicle with ties to the UAE’s ruling family. Under the collaboration, EHang will deliver up to 100 of its EH216 series eVTOL vehicles, designed for passenger transport,


aerial


logistics, and firefighting in high- rise buildings. Priced at £328,000, the EH216-S was first announced in February 2018 and has reportedly com- pleted over 42,000 successful test flights in more than 14 countries.


DUBAI TO LAUNCH WORLD-FIRST AIR TAXIS IN THE EMIRATE BY 2025


Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has partnered with venture-backed American aviation company Joby Aviation to release what is currently set to be the world’s first air taxi service in the emirate by 2025. The partnership grants Joby the exclusive right to operate air taxis in Dubai for six years, and aligns with Dubai’s commitment towards sustainability by


enabling the


emirate to deliver “fast, clean and quiet air travel enabled by Joby’s revolutionary technology”. The service will initially be offered with four vertiport sites across Dubai, which will be designed, built, and operated by Skyports, following which future expansion plans will see them rolled out over time across Dubai, and hopefully across the rest of the UAE as well. The first four vertiport sites will be located at Dubai International


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airport (DXB), Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina, and Downtown Dubai. The new air taxis should enable customers to significantly cut travel times, with a journey from Dubai International airport to the Palm Jumeirah to take twelve minutes rather than the usual 45. Through smart engineering, the electric air taxis are also designed to be extremely quiet, emitting a noise of up to 45 decibels. Through to its large windows, passengers will also be able to enjoy exceptional views. Once launched, users will be able


to book the service through a mobile app. The cost of booking a seat for a journey will be com- parable to no more than other typical premium car-based ride- sharing apps. Customers will book online, go to a terminal and pass through security checks within minutes – then take one of the four seats in the aircraft. Each aircraft will be flown by a pilot trained and licensed with a process commen-surate with a commercial airplane pilot. In terms of safety, there is plenty of redundancy built in, from addit- ional battery packs, to wings that enable the aircraft to glide if need be. The aircraft is designed to fly in basically all weather conditions, and with each aircraft only flying to around 500 to 1,000 feet, in the event of an emergency landing, it would be able to land on the ground in less than a minute.


JUNE 2024 PHTM


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