Dubai: Residents and visitors to Dubai were given a glimpse of the urban mobility future as Joby Aviation’s electric air taxi was on display this week at an exhibit located near Dubai Mall in Downtown Dubai, as the service prepares for its commercial launch in the emirate.
The machine was left hanging in order for the crowds to get a peek at their new air taxi up close and see first-hand the true lay of its land once introduced. The demonstration is one part of Dubai’s larger effort to integrate cutting-edge air mobility options into the city’s increasingly diverse transportation system.
The aircraft is an electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle — or eVTOL. It operates using six electric rotors, which allow it to take off vertically from small areas and then move forward into flight. Joby Aviation says the design is capable of flying at much higher speeds and using much less energy than traditional helicopters, allowing for short trips within cities.
High levels of noise suppression were also emphasized for the aircraft. At its operational altitude of about 1,000 feet, the air taxi is intended to be barely audible from the ground, company officials said; that’s designed to solve a problem aptly named urban noise pollution.
Joby Aviation plans to launch an initial network of four vertiports across Dubai. Proposed locations include Dubai International Airport, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina near the American University in Dubai, and Downtown Dubai. The Downtown vertiport is expected to be built on top of a designated parking structure, while construction at the Dubai International Airport vertiport is nearing completion.
The Downtown Dubai display will remain open to the public until February 5.
The showcase follows a key milestone reached in November 2025, when Joby Aviation and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority completed the UAE’s first successful eVTOL test flight. The 17-minute flight from Joby’s test facility in Margham to Al Maktoum International Airport would normally take around 50 minutes by road.
Authorities have previously said that air taxi pricing will need to remain affordable and aligned with Dubai’s public transport strategy as the service moves closer to launch.
