Dubai Seems to Be Taking Flying Taxis Quite Seriously

Traffic levels in Dubai are not great, with commuters often stuck in rush hour congestion for far too long. The city also has several highly dangerous roads, leading to dozens of traffic related fatalities every year. So, what if there was a way of getting around which would help avoid both of the above issues? Well, soon there will be. As Dubai’s self-driving taxi takes to the sky for the first time ever, people around the city are excited at the thought of hailing a flying cab in order to get to their destination.

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The Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT) took its first flight just last month, and had the honorable presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, for its very first flight ever. The taxi is a two seater and is capable of transporting people without the assistance of a pilot and is set to be introduced to the by the Road and Transport Authority (RTA). The AAT was designed by the German Company, Volocopter, and is extremely compact and efficient. Measuring only two meters in height and seven meters in width, the taxi has a maximum flight time of around 30 minutes.

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As yet another initiative to become a more eco-friendly city and the aim for Dubai to have the smallest carbon footprint in the world by 2050, the AAT is powered by clean electricity and features low noise levels. The air taxi boats a cruising speed of 50km/hr and a maximum speed of 100km/hr. For those who are a little skeptical, this ingenious taxi is also extremely safe, having a full aircraft emergency parachute. The city and its rulers are extremely excited about this new invention, and over the next five years RTA is to develop a full plan and regulations to ensure that the AAT become a part of people’s transportation routines in this Emirate.

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