VOLOCOPTER FLYING TAXI TAKES TO THE SKIES IN DUBAI!

Dubai is kicking it up a notch with their futuristic skylines and flying taxis by kicking off trails of the Volocopter two-seater aircraft. The all-electric 18-rotor vehicle recently took to the skies for the first time and the city wants to establish the world's first self-flying taxi service. 

The Volocopter is designed to autonomously carry two passengers from point A to point B without a pilot, and it can currently fly for 30 minutes at a time with a top speed of 100km/h. Dubai announced its plans to trial the Volocopter back in June and has rebranded it as the Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT) for its purposes. It is hoped the aircraft will play a role in having autonomous vehicles handle a quarter of all passenger journeys in the city by 2030.

Nobody was in the Volocopter as it made its maiden flight over Dubai, near Jumeirah Beach Park. The Crown Prince of Dubai, his Highness Sheikh Hamdan, was on hand to press the launch button and kick off the autonomous test flight, and watch on as it beamed back live shots from the sky. He also received a briefing on how the air taxi will be integrated with other public transport systems and how the public will be able to book flights and track its flight paths through a smartphone app. The trials of Dubai's Autonomous Air Taxi will take place over five years.