Dubai's Roads and Transportation Agency is planning to make the one-seater EHang 184 autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) available for air taxi flights from July.

The drone is manufactured by the Chinese company EHang and has already performed test flights around the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai. Passengers' safety has been one of the key concerns around the product. “Clearly such a move requires a safety case across the whole aviation industry, and extensive testing,” says aerospace and defence consulting VP for Frost and Sullivan Scott Clark. “In addition, it would have to include the potential of the system falling and causing loss of life, injury or damage to property. Though the unmanned flight is an interesting and novel concept, public sentiment at this stage is still questionable.”

Industry analyst for Frost & Sullivan Michael Blades adds: “The reason why the FAA in the US has taken several years to implement regulations, even for operation of small drones, is to guarantee safety.”

EHang boasts that the 184 model has redundancy in its propulsion systems and a fail-safe that causes the aircraft to land at the safest suitable location. It also utilises obstacle avoidance systems and automated communications with air traffic control. Aircraft that carry passengers are required to have proof of airworth-iness, which requires substantial testing and investment. “

In the case of the EHang 184, the redundancies, communications, lost link procedures, obstacle avoidance systems and 4G wireless connectivity would all need to be tested in a range of scenarios,” Blades states.

“While the drone taxi idea is cool and futuristic, I think it will be several years before enough testing can be accomplished and systems altered and improved to ensure safe operations. Insurance for such operations would likely be expensive, especially for liability concerns, so there would also be a question of cost-effectiveness too.”

At a summit in Dubai, general manager and chairman of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority Mattar Al Tayer spoke highly of EHang 184: “The trial run of the first AAV implements the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE, to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world. We intend to provide self-driving transport after testing it in this environment.”