Photo: VPorts
Dubai is undoubtedly one of the best places in the world to admire the latest luxury toys of some of the richest people in the world, whether we’re talking cars or superyachts. This also makes it a great market for the emerging AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) industry. A bunch of air taxi manufacturers from different parts of the world are gearing up to launch services in this area, with help from a one-of-a-kind AAM hub.
“AAM World Integrator World Center” is the fancy name of an air mobility hub that will be set up in Dubai South, covering nearly 400,000 square feet (37,000 square meters). The main force behind it is VPorts, an infrastructure developer, who has signed a 25-year lease agreement for this facility, with the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub (MBRAH).
Three more important names have also recently joined the club. Two of them have developed their own eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing) and the third one is an air operator. SkyDrive, claiming to be the top air taxi manufacturer in Japan, unveiled the SD-05 two-seater last year, designed for short-range flights. The SD-05 will carry out its inaugural flight in 2025, at the World Expo, which will take place in Osaka, Japan.
Electra’s hybrid-electric STOL (ultra-short take-off and landing) on the other hand, is significantly bigger (a five-plus seater) and capable of operating on regional routes. Plus, it’s backed by the U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin.
These two very different eVTOLs will both benefit from the state-of-the-art technologies and testing capabilities of the future Integrator Center. Falcon Aviation even plans to launch air taxi tourist flights in the area as soon as 2026.
In addition to providing a dedicated airspace for test flights, plus the adequate support, the AAM Integrator is also meant to act as centralizing hub. Although it seems impossible at the moment, there will someday be multiple vertiports and eVTOL operators providing regular flight services in Dubai. This is why a centralizing hub could be of great help, acting as a link between all the electric aircraft and the vertiports.
One of these future vertiports is gearing up to start operating in just three years from now. Skyports Infrastructure got the green light from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, of Dubai, to start building these dedicated hubs in strategic locations. These are the Dubai International Airport, the Dubai Marina, Dubai Downtown, and Palm Jumeirah. By the end of the decade, the wealthy tourists that come to the UAE could be jumping into luxury flying cars with zero-emissions, instead of regular ones.
VPorts even says that it will build and operate no less than 1,500 vertiports all over the world. But this grandiose vision will be coming to life in the next 20 years.
Three more important names have also recently joined the club. Two of them have developed their own eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing) and the third one is an air operator. SkyDrive, claiming to be the top air taxi manufacturer in Japan, unveiled the SD-05 two-seater last year, designed for short-range flights. The SD-05 will carry out its inaugural flight in 2025, at the World Expo, which will take place in Osaka, Japan.
Electra’s hybrid-electric STOL (ultra-short take-off and landing) on the other hand, is significantly bigger (a five-plus seater) and capable of operating on regional routes. Plus, it’s backed by the U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin.
These two very different eVTOLs will both benefit from the state-of-the-art technologies and testing capabilities of the future Integrator Center. Falcon Aviation even plans to launch air taxi tourist flights in the area as soon as 2026.
In addition to providing a dedicated airspace for test flights, plus the adequate support, the AAM Integrator is also meant to act as centralizing hub. Although it seems impossible at the moment, there will someday be multiple vertiports and eVTOL operators providing regular flight services in Dubai. This is why a centralizing hub could be of great help, acting as a link between all the electric aircraft and the vertiports.
One of these future vertiports is gearing up to start operating in just three years from now. Skyports Infrastructure got the green light from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, of Dubai, to start building these dedicated hubs in strategic locations. These are the Dubai International Airport, the Dubai Marina, Dubai Downtown, and Palm Jumeirah. By the end of the decade, the wealthy tourists that come to the UAE could be jumping into luxury flying cars with zero-emissions, instead of regular ones.
VPorts even says that it will build and operate no less than 1,500 vertiports all over the world. But this grandiose vision will be coming to life in the next 20 years.
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