U.S. firm set to launch 200mph flying taxis in Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — It will work like any other ride-hailing app except that instead of a car, a battery-powered aircraft will swoop in and fly you.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — It will work like any other ride-hailing app except that instead of a car, a battery-powered aircraft will swoop in and fly you.

Set to launch in Dubai next year, the American company Joby Aviation, Inc. has been developing the technology at Edwards Air Force Base in Texas as well as in the United Arab Emirates, where earlier this month it became the first electric air taxi company to complete a flight in the Middle Eastern country.

“It’s an absolutely awesome aircraft to fly,” test pilot Peter Wilson told NBC News on Sunday. “The flight is smooth, the handling qualities are exceptional.”

Wilson, who has previously test-flown F-35 fighter jets, said the simple controls on the air taxi are “super safe” as they ensure the pilot has a “low workload while still being able to do all the things they want to do.”