UAE: Residential buildings could soon have vertiports for flying cars, experts say – News

Dubai launches world’s first air mobility integration center that will allow companies to test and operate electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft

document. Pictures are for illustration purposes.

UAE could see commercial operation of flying car or electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft 2025 or beyondsaid a senior official.

Walid Ibrahim Al Rahmani, assistant director-general for strategy and international affairs at the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), said the option of installing vertiports above buildings cannot be ruled out, as the UAE already has helipads on residential buildings. However, he stressed that safety aspects would also be taken into account due to obstacles surrounding high-rise towers.

Speaking on the sidelines of a press conference, Al Rahmani announced the launch of the world’s first Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Integrator Center, which will allow companies to test and operate electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

VPorts, which specializes in the design, construction and operation of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) infrastructure, will build the center in partnership with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Center (MBRAH).

The GCAA Assistant Director expects commercial use of eVTOLs in 2025 and beyond. “This is conditional on the success of the certification.”

More than 400 flying car or eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle) companies around the world are working hard to make their products safer and more reliable. Most of them are betting that 2025 will be the year of the flying car.

Also read:

However, Dubai is becoming one of the top destinations for companies launching flying cars.

Chinese automaker Xpeng Motors also recently successfully completed the first global public flight of its X2 flying car in Dubai.

VPorts CEO and founder Dr. Fethi Chebil also expects flying cars to be commercially available from 2025.

Al Rahmani added that the regulatory framework is ready for eVTOL. “The part that is lagging now is certification. There are two main parts – product certification to make sure it is safe to fly and integration with air traffic management. The construction and operation of VPorts will allow such vehicles to operate in the airspace above cities without interfering with air traffic,” he said.