RTA to Begin Trial Runs of Air Taxi by End of 2017
- RTA authorities announced that they will begin trial operation of a manned air taxi in the fourth quarter of 2017
- RTA has extended the test run of the manned Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT) to meet all operational requirements of safety and security for these type of vehicles
- RTA has signed an agreement with the German company Volocopter to launch the first vehicle capable of carrying two passengers
- The testing of AAT vehicles comes as part of RTA’s efforts to provide autonomous transportation by conducting the required technological tests of those vehicles under the climatic conditions of Dubai
- The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai is the government body that handles all matters relevant to transportation in the city, be it by road, water, rail or air
- Volocopter is an experimental electric multi-rotor helicopter developed from the E-Volo VC1 and manufactured by the German company e-volo
- The Autonomous Air Taxi is characterized by its autopilot flying, thereby enabling the movement of people from place to place without human intervention or a need for flight license holder
- The AAT is powered by electricity and has high safety features, given its design comprising 18 rotors, to ensure safe cruising and landing of the taxi in case of any rotor failure
- The AAT testing echoes Dubai’s Smart Autonomous Mobility Strategy that seeks to transform a quarter of the total mobility journeys in Dubai into autonomous transport by 2030
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