Fly from home to office in minutes: Sneak peek at Dubai’s flying taxi future

Imagine flying from your apartment in Bur Dubai to your office in DIP – or a shopping mall – in minutes, right from rooftop to rooftop.

While the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced four initial vertiport locations for air taxis, including one near Dubai International Airport, a top official told Gulf News that the network could expand across the city much faster than expected.

“We are not selecting only airports. We are looking at the urban plan of Dubai,” said Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of the RTA’s Public Transport Agency, noting that the service will be integrated into residential and commercial areas, making rooftop-to-rooftop air travel a reality for more people.

Developers on board

“We are now forecasting demand in residential and commercial areas, and starting early discussions with developers to integrate this service into their master plans. Once you integrate the master plan, it becomes easier to get their support, whereas if you go after the master plans are finalised, it might be difficult to find the right place for such a service,” Bahrozyan said.

Space-smart design

Bahrozyan highlighted the efficiency of vertiports.
“They don’t need huge space: 30 metres by 30 metres is enough. Some vertiports will be sophisticated, some will be basic. There are some requirements, of course, for passenger safety and security standards. But we are flexible to design the vertiport according to the availability of land and the size of them.”

New rules, possibilities

The expansion is now supported by regulation. In July 2025, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) issued the world’s first framework for hybrid operations, allowing eVTOLs and helicopters to operate interchangeably on the same infrastructure. The UAE already has more than 120 heliports, many of which could be converted into vertiports, accelerating the rollout.

Heliports to vertiports

Anthony Khoury, General Manager – UAE, Joby Aviation, said the future network could grow rapidly following the regulatory approvals.
“So, suddenly now you have access to all the heliports. These are now up for grabs. You can convert them to become a vertiport. So, you start with new buildings – the four vertiports announced. Then you look at existing ones [heliports] for conversion. And then you move to the third phase, and you start building hopefully more affordable infrastructure, so that you can have more accessible nodes across the UAE,” Khoury noted.

Bahrozyan pointed out that vertiports are poised to redefine urban mobility in the emirate.

“It’s positive. Once we start, we expect demand to grow, the network to expand, and the service to become very important,” Bahrozyan added.