Electric flying taxis that are set to take off from a vertiport near Dubai International Airport will require tight regulations and air traffic control that separates these aircraft from passenger planes.
Human expertise will take the lead but there is the potential for artificial intelligence to assist controllers, Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, told The National.
"Clearly, there needs to be segregation between the low-level traffic of air taxis and the established pathways [of commercial aircraft]," he said.
"The airport facilitates take off and landing from quite high altitudes so it's only going to be restricted around the immediate vicinity of the airport and below 2,000 feet. Air taxis will be controlled via a network which will keep them separated."
Clearly there needs to be segregation between the low-level traffic of air taxis and the established pathways of commercial aircraft
Paul Griffiths,
Dubai Airports
Joby Aviation, which aims to begin operations in 2026 for the launch an electric air taxi service in Dubai, will use vertiports, which are being built at four locations. The company announced last week that construction of the first flying station, near Dubai International Airport, had started. It said the vertiport will be able handle 170,000 passengers a year.
The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) will define the overall regulation, corridors and airspace for these operations, but over time the control of these air taxis will be automated within a network, similar to Uber's network, to enable point-to-point journeys, according to Mr Griffiths.
"If you can manage in three dimensions, with height as well as position, you can actually create very efficient networks of corridors for people to move along. The AI and automation is going to transform the capacity of personal mobility in the air," he said.
"If you pursue a policy in the air that is purely automated, where the top technology can take care of the separation and optimisation of the traffic, then actually you end up with a very efficient solution," he said.
"That's probably the way that air taxis are going to become very quick, very convenient, very sustainable and very efficient over a short period of time."
Cutting through congestion
Air taxis will transform personal transport over the next 20 years, according to the airport industry veteran.
"We are going to see dramatic changes in our personal mobility over the next couple of decades and air taxis are just going to be one of those things which become ubiquitous very quickly ... It's nascent technology so there's a great deal of technical innovation going on, so the range and payload of air taxis is going to increase disproportionately over time and that's a very good thing," Mr Griffiths said.
A vertiport for air taxis next to the airport will enable onward travel into the city for tourists and business travellers, allowing them to bypass road traffic to explore the city or reach their appointments more quickly.
"Having a vertiport will give us seamless integration, so that you can arrive say from Europe or Australia on a plane at DXB and then be transported to an adjacent vertiport, then you can jump in an air taxi and miss all the traffic and glide over the city. It's going to be a very exciting development," Mr Griffiths said.
Visitors to Dubai can save time because air taxis will provide more predictable journey times.
"If you're traveling point-to-point with absolutely no obstacles in your path, then you're going to have a quick and convenient journey and you're going to see the city from a unique vista," he said.
"It's the convenience of a helicopter without the huge cost of a helicopter."
Trial to eliminate queues
Dubai International Airport (DXB) and its second hub DWC are together set to handle a record high of 93 million annual passengers in 2024, Mr Griffiths said on Tuesday after operator Dubai Airports released quarterly traffic results. DXB alone is forecast to handle 91.9 million this year.
DXB and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) are currently conducting trials for a new system that will eliminate queues.
"We're trialling with the immigration authorities here the ability to have check-in and immigration processes integrated into a single biometric signature so that we can do away with that particular step," Mr Griffiths said.
"The technology exists but what we need to do is bind all of that tech into a consolidated process so that we're making it as seamless and invisible to the customer as we possibly can."
The idea is to ask passengers for the required travel documentation only once and avoid several checks at different points at the airport.
"When you've brought your ticket, you specify the seat you want, specify your preferences and then you upload all your documentation. The idea is you just do that once at the time you make the commitment to travel and then everything else is seamless," Mr Griffiths said.
"When you arrive at the airport, you just drop off your bag as soon as you step out of your car, train or air taxi and then the next step is to get on the train which takes you directly to your airplane ... Security and immigration will be consolidated into one process that you don't even see."
'Mass immigration system'
The GDRFA is currently testing a new "mass immigration verification" system so that instead of walking through individual gates, passengers will walk through a single corridor that will compare their biometrics against their immigration records," Mr Griffiths said.
"If a green rectangle goes round someone's face, you know that's fine. But if there's a red rectangle around someone's face on the monitor, someone will need to just say, 'can I just ask you a few questions?' So we want to intervene by exception rather than forcing everyone through the same process. It's going to be far less intrusive. But just as secure," he said.
Asked about the timeline for rolling out these new systems, Mr Griffiths said that the airport is "on the cusp" of introducing some changes to the current procedures.
"The facial recognition is already in place. All we have to do is integrate that facial recognition signature behind the scenes so that more than one system can read the biometric data and verification that's been undertaken in a single transaction," he said.
Funneling more people through the airport in half the time, using the same space, will help double the capacity without building any additional infrastructure, he added.
This will help DXB make the most of its physical infrastructure as it approaches the limits of its physical infrastructure. The airport can handle 110 million annual passengers with the use of biometric technology, Mr Griffiths said.
"Our approach is, if we get more passengers, we just halve the processing time, we get happier customers and we get greater capacity from the same space. So it makes perfect business sense and perfect economic sense to do that," he said.
Squads
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Babar Azam (vc), Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hasnain, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne (c), Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Avishka Fernando, Oshada Fernando, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, Minod Bhanuka, Angelo Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Fernando Jara (jockey), Irfan Ellahi (trainer).
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Momtaz, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,400m
Winner: Yaalail, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh180,000 1,600m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Dahess D’Arabie, Fernando Jara, Helal Al Alawi.
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2.200m
Winner: Ezz Al Rawasi, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi.
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SQUADS
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Wahab Riaz
Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne (vice-capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Lakshan Sandakan, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Nigel Llong (ENG)
TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
ICC match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)
Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
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U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
Company%20Profile
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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Napoleon
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Ridley%20Scott%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Joaquin%20Phoenix%2C%20Vanessa%20Kirby%2C%20Tahar%20Rahim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Command%20Z
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
The five pillars of Islam
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
SPEC%20SHEET
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
