Team Blitz India
DUBAI: The UAE’s first vertiport for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOLs) aircraft was unveiled and operated successfully on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island.
Vertiport is a dedicated area supporting the vertical takeoff and landing of aircraft without the need for a runway. A temporary vertiport facility, launched at the DRIFTx mobility event, successfully conducted the take-off and landing of flying taxis at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
At the inaugural event, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), in collaboration with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and Abu Dhabi Mobility (AD Mobility), an affiliate of the Department of Municipalities and Transport – Abu Dhabi (DMT), unveiled the UAE’s first operational vertiport.
“We issued our first approval for vertiport operation here on Yas Island. So, this is a great achievement to see things moving into reality. Something futuristic is now becoming reality. I think we are very much ready for Day One,” Aqeel Al Zarouni, Assistant DirectorGeneral of the Aviation Safety Sector at the GCAA, said.
It is worth mentioning that there are many vertiports which are currently being operated across the world. Among the countries that have these are the US, Canada, Singapore and Turkey.
It was the British company Foster and Partners, which designed UAE’s first vertiport in April 2023. The work on this has been going on non-stop since then.
A GCAA official confirmed to Khaleej Times that the area near the Creek on the circuit and the Yas Marina was earmarked as a temporary vertiport facility. Between 4.30 and 5 pm, a two-passenger eVTOL aircraft with a capacity of 600 kg took off and landed back after being airborne for about 20-25 minutes. Later, another eVTOL aircraft operated successfully.
More in the offing
Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the GCAA, said: “Events like DRIFTx play a crucial role in accelerating the development of advanced air mobility in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE.”
Abdulla Al Marzouqi, Director General of AD Mobility, underlined that more vertiports will be set up in strategic locations across Abu Dhabi, including major business hubs and tourism destinations. “Once complete, the vertiport network will be a key enabler of Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) cluster…This is an exciting time for mobility in Abu Dhabi,” he said.
