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UAE’s first flying taxi trials to begin in Al Ain this summer
Flying taxi fare will be ‘very similar to the high-end rideshare’ cost, says Archer CEO
- PUBLISHED: Mon 19 May 2025, 6:58 PM
The trials of the UAE’s first flying taxi will begin in Al Ain in a few months ahead of the roll-out of the full service at the end of this year, a senior official said on Monday.
“The trial phase will start soon at the beginning of the third quarter. We've been working with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) for years. The GCAA has carved out a regulatory pathway to help us launch here in the UAE this year. We're in the final stages of that approval. We're going to start flying first remotely in Al Ain over time before bringing it here in Abu Dhabi,” Adam Goldstein, CEO of Archer Aviation, told Khaleej Times.
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Goldstein was speaking on the sidelines of the fourth edition of Make it in the Emirates exhibition and conference running at Adnec Centre in Abu Dhabi from May 19 to 22, 2025.
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The GCAA has approved Archer’s design for the planned transformation of an Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal helipad into a hybrid heliport for both helicopter and eVTOL aircraft operations.
The company is displaying a model of its Midnight aircraft or flying taxi that will be operational in the UAE. Visitors to the Adnec Centre can first-hand witness the model of the flying taxi.
“Our goal is to launch (flying taxi) here in Abu Dhabi towards the end of this year. I'm excited to launch it first in the world here. We'll start relatively small and see how the operations will work. We will get the communities involved and show how safe and quiet the aircraft is. And then the goal is to scale it up over time. We'll start with different points of interest in Abu Dhabi, and then ultimately the goal is to be able to expand,” Archer’s CEO said during the interview.
Travel cost
The new mobility solution will reduce the 2-3 hour journey to just 15-20 minutes between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Replying to a query about airfare for the flying taxi, he added that the “target prices are very similar to the high-end of rideshare.”
He noted that the people will be able to book flying taxi through Archer’s app or app provided by its Abu Dhabi partner.
In Dubai, Archer peer Joby Aviation is working to launch flying taxis.
“There're lots of different pricing schemes that people are working on, much like you see in the rideshare. It will also be based on supply-demand that different operators will help set that. For example, we're partnering with Abu Dhabi Aviation, so they will likely be the ones setting a lot of those pricing dynamics.”
Assembly in 2025
Goldstein said the US-based company will start assembling flying taxis in the UAE later this year.
“We'll start the assembly here this year. It's kind of the low-scale sides of things and then work through and ultimately scale it up,” he said.
“Over the long term, he said the ultimate aim is to manufacture here in Abu Dhabi and create a lot of jobs in the region. Hopefully make this not just a product to fly here, but to be sold all over the world.”
The company is currently manufacturing its Midnight aircraft in the US.
“The UAE has incredible trade agreements with a lot of different countries, even beyond the GCC. So there's a great opportunity here to manufacture and then ultimately export to many parts of the world,” he said.
Highlighting the vision of Abu Dhabi, he said the aim is to “create the next Seattle, the next Toulouse, a place where new, innovative aviation companies can come and build, and create a whole industry here, and ultimately a whole new industry.”
