Air taxi vertiports will make travelling in the skies as easy as ordering a ride-hailing cab like an Uber, for a similar cost – that was a promise from exhibitors on the opening day of Dubai Airshow.

At an event historically dominated by airlines and private jets, the emergence of drones as a viable option for mass transport signalled a new era for commercial flight. Aerial taxi operators showed how passenger drone services will take shape in Dubai, ahead of a full commercial launch next year.

Passengers will soon be able to hail a drone to fly between Dubai International Airport, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina and Business Bay. Oliver Walker-Jones, head of marketing for Joby Aviation, said that was just the start of plans to build a nationwide network.

“We've got these four different take-off and landing points confirmed but that’s only the beginning,” he told The National. “We would like it to be much more widespread and we think there's great scope to build these in lots of different places.

“That means a more dense network in Dubai but it also is the opportunity to go further afield. We already have an arrangement with Ras Al Khaimah to work there, with Marjan Island an obvious choice.

“Eventually, we would love to cover all the Emirates so we can move people back and forth everywhere. The real goal is flying between Dubai to Abu Dhabi at 320kph, in a straight line, with no traffic.”

Dial and fly

In the exhibition centre at Dubai World Central, service operators gave visitors an insight into how a dial-and-fly service for drone travel would look in the near future.

After pick-up, passengers are given a unique bar code to access a vertiport departure lounge, before boarding a four-seater drone to beat the traffic and arrive at their destination in minutes.

Joby has a six-year exclusive arrangement with the Roads and