Flying Taxi Infrastructure Targeted for Saudi Arabia, Mideast

Vertiport operator UrbanV and construction and technology infrastructure company Icad Holdings are teaming to develop the infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the Mideast to support advanced air mobility (AAM).

The companies aim to establish a blueprint for vertiport operations and define a plan to operate vertiports in the Middle East.

UrbanV and Icad plan to jointly explore opportunities for projects in AAM and urban air mobility (UAM) across the region, according to the deal announcement.

The infrastructure plan would include takeoff and landing procedures, technology integration and operation plans for vertiports and vertiport networks.

“At UrbanV, we aim to improve people’s lives by enabling a fast, efficient, safe and clean alternative to existing transport solutions for people and goods over short distances by air,” said Carlo Tursi, CEO of UrbanV. “We have the ambition to become a major global operator of vertiport networks and we will be global pioneers in establishing some of the first AAM routes worldwide."

UrbanV plans and designs vertiports including route evaluations and interactions with regulators while Icad does construction, technology integration and operational management.

UrbanV is involved in other ventures in addition to the partnership with Icad.

Related:Air Taxi Company Plans for French Riviera Operations

For example, UrbanV teamed with EAV jet maker Lilium and airport management company Aeroports de la Cote d’Azur to bring Lilium electric jet flight to the South of France starting in 2026. 

The plan is to create a network to connect the French Riviera with Monaco, Nice, Cannes, Golfe de Saint-Tropez, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille.

The partners plan to establish and operate eVTOL vehicles within a network of vertiports including Nice Côte d’Azur airport, the second-largest airport in France, with Cannes Mandelieu Airport and Golfe de Saint-Tropez Airport.

For flying vehicles such as air taxis, vertiports are needed for takeoff and landings, passenger loading and unloading and charging and maintenance.

Numerous companies in Europe and the Middle East are involved in vertiport development along with companies in the U.S., such as Volatus Infrastructure in Wisconsin and Aeroauto Global in Florida.