Dubai tests world’s first self-flying taxi

Dubai made aviation history on Monday afternoon with the first “proof of concept flight” of its new two-seater, self-flying taxi in an aerial test in Jumeirah Beach Resisdence area, said officials.

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai witnessed the maiden flight of the Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT), according to a statement by Dubai Government Media Office.

The self-flying taxi will “be used for the world’s first self-flying taxi service set to be introduced by Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA),” said the statement, noting that the aerial taxi will shuttle passengers across the city without a pilot.

Built by Volocopter, a German specialty manufacturer of autonomous air vehicles, the aircraft’s aerial test comes seven months after plans for a self-flying taxi were unveiled at the World Government Summit in Dubai.

Word of Dubai’s leap into the future of automated aerial taxis made headlines around the world at the February summit.

(Evangle Luo of TTFLY shared with you)