SAUDI GOVERNMENT WILL TEST FLYING TAXIS AND DRONES DURING THIS HAJJ SEASON

Fri 10 May 2024:

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, Saleh Al-Jasser, revealed that his ministry will test the use of flying taxis and drones during this year’s Hajj season.

“These represent highly advanced modes of transportation including taxi applications. There is a race between many specialised companies in the transport sector to provide the best means of transport over the coming years,” Al-Jasser told Al-Arabiya yesterday.

WATCH: NEOM, VOLOCOPTER SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE FIRST AIR TAXI TEST FLIGHT IN SAUDI ARABIA

According to the news channel, the minister said Saudi Arabia is preparing more flexible and faster technologies and means of transportation during this year’s Hajj season to facilitate the pilgrim’s journey.

“So, we must be at the forefront in order to benefit from these services,” he added. Earlier this year, Saudi Arabian Airlines also unveiled plans to operate flying taxis to ferry Hajj pilgrims between King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and hotels in Makkah. Saudi Arabia intends to buy around 100 aircraft to operate the service.

FLYING TAXIS WILL BE OPERATED BY SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES TO TRANSPORT PILGRIMS TO MAKKAH

During last January, Abdullah Al-Shahrani, director of corporate communications and spokesman of the Saudia Group, said that the Saudi national carrier is making preparations to use air taxis as a new mode of transportation during the Hajj season. He said that the Saudia Group has contracted the purchase of 100 Lilium jets, German electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, to shuttle between the Jeddah airport and airstrips in Makkah hotels near the Grand Mosque and other holy places.

“The electric plane Lilium is one of the first aircraft that operates entirely on electric power. After completing the necessary arrangements, these planes will fly with the guests of God during Hajj and Umrah seasons from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to the airstrips in hotels near the Grand Mosque in Makkah,” he said. Air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand.

Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia. This year’s Hajj season is expected to begin on 14 June.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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