Business /

Dubai air taxi plan moves closer after world-first vertiport approval

VDX near Dubai airport can handle up to 170,000 passengers a year

Last updated: July 07, 2026 | 15:05

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

2 MIN READ

Add as a preferred source on Google

The vertiport stations will seamlessly integrate with other modes of transportation.

Supplied

Dubai: Dubai has moved a step closer to launching commercial air taxi services after VDX, the flagship vertiport near Dubai International Airport, received regulatory certification for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft operations.

Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.

The General Civil Aviation Authority and Skyports Infrastructure said VDX is the world’s first purpose-built commercial vertiport to receive regulatory certification. The approval clears a key infrastructure milestone for Dubai’s planned Air Taxi network, which is being developed by Skyports in partnership with the Roads and Transport Authority.

Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.

VDX will serve as the first and main hub in the Dubai Air Taxi network, with three more vertiports under development.

What passengers can expect

The four-storey facility spans about 3,100 square metres and includes two dedicated take-off and landing areas, rapid charging infrastructure for electric aircraft and passenger facilities designed for high-throughput operations.

Once commercial operations begin, VDX will be able to handle up to 170,000 passengers a year.

Also Read: Archer inches closer to flying air taxis in Abu Dhabi with new UAE certification

Also Read: Sheikh Hamdan reviews progress of Dubai's air taxi station

Also Read: Driverless taxis are coming: Dubai Taxi confirms autonomous launch date

Safety approval completed

The certification followed a detailed GCAA review of the vertiport’s infrastructure, physical characteristics, operational procedures, safety management arrangements, emergency preparedness and compliance with applicable rules.

“The certification the world’s first purpose-built commercial vertiport is a historic achievement for the UAE and a defining moment for the future of aviation." said Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the GCAA. "It reflects the vision of our leadership, the maturity of our regulatory system and our national capability to enable innovation while maintaining the highest levels of safety."

The milestone also gives Dubai’s air taxi plans a stronger regulatory base, which will be critical for public confidence once passenger services move closer to launch.

Air taxi network takes shape

Skyports said construction across the wider Dubai Air Taxi network is progressing, with the certified vertiport now acting as the anchor site for future commercial operations.

"With VDX now certified and construction of the wider Dubai Air Taxi Network progressing at pace, we are one step closer to launching commercial air taxi operations, and unlocking a new era of safe, efficient and sustainable urban transport," said Duncan Walker, CEO, Skyports Infrastructure.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, covering aviation, financial markets and commodities. A business and financial journalist with a strong interest in multimedia storytelling, she regularly takes complex financial and economic subjects beyond the written word, producing explainer videos that make them easier for a wider audience to understand. Nivetha has interviewed senior policymakers, business leaders and global financial figures both on and off camera. Her past guests include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud and the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu. She has also hosted and moderated panels, conferences and awards shows, bringing her newsroom experience to live conversations on business, finance and the economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha is drawn to stories that affect people directly and to reporting that gives a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard. She was among the first journalists to speak to Petrofac employees in the UAE about unpaid salaries, broke the news of the planned demolition of Dubai’s well-known “Toyota Building”, and helped set the record straight on widely circulated claims that a giant replica of the Moon was coming to Dubai. More recently, her exclusive interview with EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar revealed how the UAE-based defence group deployed its systems along the country’s shore border and established a geofence around the UAE within 48 hours of the February 28 escalation. Prior to joining Gulf News, Nivetha worked at ITP Media, where she helped launch Finance Middle East, a new publication covering the region’s financial sector. Her role spanned reporting and editing, video production, interviews and events. Across print, digital, and video, she focuses on finding the people behind business stories and explaining why those stories matter to the audience reading or watching them.

Get Updates on Topics You Choose

Up Next