The four-storey facility links directly with Dubai Metro and supports plans for future eVTOL operations across key areas of Dubai.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Skyports Infrastructure have completed the world’s first commercial vertiport near Dubai International Airport, with the facility now technically ready to support electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operations.
The milestone was marked with a demonstration tour for His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, including a simulation of the planned passenger journey and operational processes behind the future air taxi network.
The vertiport will serve as the flagship node in Dubai’s planned air taxi network and act as its primary operational hub.
Covering 3,100 sq m across four floors, the facility combines passenger handling and central flight operations under one roof. The site includes two dedicated take-off and landing areas alongside the Joby Aviation-developed Global Electric Aviation Charging System (GEACS), described as the first fast-charging system installed at a commercial vertiport.
The infrastructure has also been designed to support conventional helicopter traffic under a hybrid regulatory framework developed with the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
The vertiport has capacity for up to 170,000 passengers annually and as many as 42,000 aircraft movements, while direct access to Emirates Metro Station and an integrated multistorey car park aim to strengthen intermodal connectivity.
Demonstrations during the event included digital booking through Joby Aviation’s app, automated check-in systems, premium waiting areas and streamlined boarding procedures intended to minimise turnaround times.
Additional network nodes are planned at Dubai Marina, Dubai Mall and Palm Jumeirah, with the Dubai Marina facility already under construction.
Joby Aviation has also continued local testing activity in the UAE. In June 2025, the company completed piloted eVTOL test flights in Margham, including flights between Margham and Al Maktoum International Airport alongside demonstrations during Dubai Airshow 2025.
Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the board of executive directors at Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, says: “This step paves the way for expanding the development of air taxi vertiports across the emirate, ensuring the delivery of advanced air mobility services to residents and visitors, while enhancing connectivity between key areas, business centres and tourist destinations.”
Duncan Walker, CEO of Skyports Infrastructure, adds: “After years of planning and in depth design, this new class of infrastructure brings together the latest technologies and innovations that will change how people move around their cities.”
