Dubai’s future commute: aerial taxis, cooler walkways, and a bigger metro network are coming

If you have ever sat in traffic and wondered what Dubai’s next big move is, we just got a pretty solid preview. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has reviewed a major slate of infrastructure and mobility projects that will shape how residents and visitors get around in the coming years, and it reads like a city fast-forwarding itself again.

Top of the list is Dubai’s aerial taxi plan. Trial flights with Joby Aviation’s electric craft have already progressed to a crewed test from Margham to Al Maktoum International Airport, marking a key step toward passenger services targeted for 2026. The aircraft is fully electric, designed for four passengers plus a pilot, with a range of around 160 kilometres and top speeds of up to 320 kilometres per hour. Dedicated vertiports are in the works, too, including a multi-level facility near Dubai International Airport, with more sites being lined up with major developers.

On the ground (and below it), the update confirms how big the Blue Line and wider rail expansion really are. Once complete in 2029, Dubai’s rail network will stretch to 131 kilometres with 78 stations and an expanded fleet, improving links between old and new neighbourhoods and making car-free commutes a lot more realistic for daily life.

Beyond the headline projects, the RTA is rolling out 72 roads and transport schemes by the end of 2027, covering 226 kilometres of roads and 115 bridges and tunnels across key districts. The aim: smoother journeys, more direct corridors, and better integration between roads, metro, trams, buses, and future services.

One of the most exciting lifestyle upgrades is The Future Loop, part of the Dubai Walk Master Plan. Picture a two-kilometre elevated, partially climate-controlled pedestrian route connecting heavy-hitter landmarks like the Museum of the Future, the World Trade Centre, Emirates Towers and DIFC, wrapped with shaded paths, greenery, and cooler walking conditions year-round. Longer term, the plan includes thousands of kilometres of new and upgraded walkways and over 100 pedestrian bridges and tunnels, with the goal of boosting walking and micromobility trips from 13 to 25 per cent by 2040.

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