In a landmark leap forward for advanced urban mobility, Dubai has officially completed construction on the world’s first purpose-built flying taxi station, with commercial passenger operations on track to launch before the close of 2026. The milestone was announced by Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum during an inspection tour of the new electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) facility, located just a short distance from Dubai International Airport.
The completed infrastructure is a four-story central hub purpose-built to support the nascent air taxi industry. Designed to accommodate growing passenger demand, the station has an annual capacity of up to 170,000 passenger trips, and will act as the primary base for all of Dubai’s upcoming commercial air taxi services. Authorities have already unveiled plans to develop three additional stations across other key districts of the city in coming phases of the project.
Commercial flight operations will be run by Joby Aviation, a California-based aerospace company specializing in electric urban air mobility. Under the terms of its agreement with Dubai authorities, Joby has secured exclusive operating rights for the air taxi network for an initial six-year period.
City officials frame the project as a transformative step forward for urban transportation in Dubai. By rolling out this new zero-emission transit mode, they expect to cut travel times dramatically between the emirate’s key economic, residential, and tourist destinations, while advancing the region’s goals for building faster, more sustainable urban mobility infrastructure that aligns with global carbon reduction targets.