Passenger drones to take to the skies in Dubai

Passenger drones could be seen in the skies above Dubai as early as July 2017, according to the city’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA). Speaking at the World Government Summit, Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of RTA, said the pilotless drones, designed to carry a weight of 100kg and a small suitcase, will have a range of 50 km and are on track to take off beginning in July 2017. The drones are part of Dubai’s strategy on autonomous transportation, under which 25 per cent of all journeys within the Emirat
February 15, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Passenger drones could be seen in the skies above Dubai as early as July 2017, according to the city’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA).

Speaking at the World Government Summit, Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of RTA, said the pilotless drones, designed to carry a weight of 100kg and a small suitcase, will have a range of 50 km and are on track to take off beginning in July 2017.

The drones are part of Dubai’s strategy on autonomous transportation, under which 25 per cent of all journeys within the Emirate are expected to be smart and driverless by 2030.

According to Associated Press, the Chinese-made EHang 184 has a top speed of 160 kph (100 mph), but authorities say it will be operated typically at 100 kph (62 mph). It carries only one passenger, who selects a destination on a touch-screen pad in front of the seat and the drone flies there automatically.

“This is not only a model,” al-Tayer said. “We have actually experimented with this vehicle flying in Dubai's skies.”

Related Content

  • QRoutes launches transport planning software for schools and special needs
    November 15, 2017
    QRoutes has launched the latest version of its Transport Planning tool which is designed with the intention of simplifying and improving the planning of school and special needs transport. It creates visual map-based results and enables planners to explore what-if scenarios to find new improved routes. The QRoutes Planner (QRP) can configure the system to take into account a range of variables affecting each route plan. These include board and alight times for different passenger types, and road type
    Read More
  • ‘Formation flying’ engineering trains used to upgrade railway
    February 16, 2017
    In a bid to increase efficiencies and reduce delays for passengers, the UK’s Network Rail is trialling ‘formation flying’ engineering trains to repair and renew the 20,000 miles of railway track it is responsible for maintaining. It says this new approach to engineering could potentially save taxpayer-funded Network Rail US$313,000 (£250,000) per week in costs by allowing trains to run at higher speeds once engineering is complete. The pioneering technique was used successfully at Sandy, Bedfordshire, on
    Read More
  • Indra’s Davao demos accurate high-occupancy ID in US trial
    May 9, 2019
    Indra says its Davaq free-flow identification system has scored the highest overall accuracy rate – 88% - in a US trial to detect high-occupancy vehicles.
    Read More
  • Saudi prepares for city without cars
    January 15, 2021
    The Line is 170km-long development planned to feature high-speed transit and AVs
    Read More

Highlighted Content