Dubai’s first vertiport gets operational clearance

The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority has approved the operation of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft from a purpose-built commercial vertiport in Dubai.

Joby Aviation, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has announced plans to start an air taxi service in Dubai this year.

Claimed to be the first in the world, VDX – the name officially registered under the Aviation Authority certification process – will serve as the primary hub in Dubai’s planned air taxi network, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported.

Three additional vertiports are under development by UK developer Skyports Infrastructure, in collaboration with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority.

Skyports Infrastructure CEO Duncan Walker said the launch of commercial air taxi operations is close, with VDX certified and construction of the wider Dubai air taxi network progressing at pace.

VDX features two take-off and landing areas, rapid-charging infrastructure for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft and passenger facilities. The four-storey facility spans 3,100 square metres and can accommodate up to 170,000 passengers annually.

In September 2024, Khaled Al Awadhi, director of the transportation systems department at RTA, said the first vertiport was scheduled to begin operating in the first quarter of 2026.

Further reading:

• Gulf races ahead on infrastructure for flying taxis
• Gulf airlines’ expansion plans clipped by engineer shortage
• Three vertiport locations identified in Abu Dhabi

Joby Aviation signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation in November 2025 to use US Federal Aviation Administration certification standards as a foundation for the approval process for Joby’s aircraft in the kingdom.

In January Oman’s transport ministry said it intends to launch an air taxi service in 2027, which it said would boost domestic travel, spur business connectivity and attract more tourists.

Joby’s electric air taxi is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at up to 322 kilometres per hour, with zero operating emissions.