When it comes to air travel, the United Arab Emirates is making big steps forward by planning out an air corridor just for cargo drones, piloted and self-driving air taxis. This project is a part of a larger attempt to create a regulatory framework for advanced air mobility (AAM) in the country.

This project is a collaborative effort between the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), which includes the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and Aspire. These entities are working together to redefine how people and goods will move throughout urban environments in the UAE.

It is believed that the rules for setting up aerial corridors will be finished within the next 20 months. The goal of this project is to set a worldwide standard for future urban mobility systems and show that the UAE is serious about finding advanced and environmentally friendly ways to get around. The planned routes will link the UAE’s main international airports to famous landmarks and cities, making it easier for piloted and unpiloted air cabs and cargo drones to work together.

The director general of the GCAA, Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, stressed how important this air corridor planning is, saying that it is a key step toward implementing advanced air mobility in the UAE’s infrastructure. He said that the goal of this project is to make sure that air mobility systems are used in a safe and effective way. This will change how people get around cities and make the future smarter and more linked.

TII’s knowledge of managing airspace will help this method work, making sure that the safe integration of different types of air travel into cities. The goal of building these new air routes is to make it easier for both people and goods to get from one place to another, while also making existing road networks less crowded.

The CEO of TII, Dr. Najwa Aaraj, talked about how this partnership with the GCAA has changed things. He emphasized the benefits of making cities more connected and pushing sustainable transportation options for future generations. Stephane Timpano from Aspire also said that new technologies like air taxis and drones help solve instant mobility problems in cities and support long-term economic growth by making a flexible transportation system that makes city infrastructure less stressed.

At the World Government Summit 2025, TII and Aspire announced their plans to create a network of regulators, business leaders, and researchers to make sure there is a complete set of rules that put safety and operating efficiency first.

Professor Enrico Natalizio, who is the head researcher at TII, talked about the creation of advanced AI-powered systems for self-driving air vehicles. These systems will help make decisions in real time, which is a big step toward safe and efficient air travel in cities with lots of buildings.