A model of EHang 184 and the next generation of Dubai Drone Taxi is seen during the seconde day of the World Government Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Feb. 13, 2017. Dubai hopes to have a passenger-carrying drone buzzing through the skyline of this futuristic city-state in July.

Start the conversation, or Read more at News Times. </s> DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Up, up and away: Dubai hopes to have a passenger-carrying drone regularly buzzing through the skyline of this futuristic city-state in July.

Mattar al-Tayer, the head of Dubai's Roads & Transportation Agency, made the announcement on Monday at the World Government Summit.

The drone - a Chinese-made EHang 184 - is an egg-shaped craft with four legs sticking out, each with two small propellers.

A model of EHang 184 and the next generation of Dubai Drone Taxi is seen during the seconde day of the World Government Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Feb. 13, 2017. Dubai hopes to have a passenger-carrying drone buzzing through the skyline of this futuristic city-state in July. Mattar al-Tayer, the head of Dubai's Roads & Transportation Agency, made the surprise announcement Monday at the World Government Summit. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

The rider punches in a destination on a touch screen in front of the passenger seat, then the drone would fly there automatically.

The drone, which has a half-hour flight time, will be monitored remotely by a control room on the ground.

EHang did not respond to a request for comment. In May, authorities in Nevada announced they would partner with EHang to test the 184.

A model of EHang 184 and the next generation of Dubai Drone Taxi is seen during the seconde day of the World Government Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Feb. 13, 2017. Dubai hopes to have a passenger-carrying drone buzzing through the skyline of this futuristic city-state in July. Mattar al-Tayer, the head of Dubai's Roads & Transportation Agency, made the surprise announcement Monday at the World Government Summit. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) </s> Dubai plans to have a passenger drone ready and flying by the summer.

Mattar al-Tayer, head of Dubai's Roads & Transportation Agency, announced the aim at the World Government Summit , the New York Times reports . He said the drone would begin regular operations in July.

The drone can carry a single passenger weighing up to 220 pounds plus a small suitcase. The chosen model is a EHange 184, a Chinese made drone, which has already flown in Dubai's skies.

The Road and Transportation Agency later said the craft was controlled through 4G mobile internet.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the emirate's leader, had previously said that by 2030 he wanted a quarter of all passenger trips in Dubai to be done by driverless vehicles. </s> DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Up, up and away: Dubai hopes to have a passenger-carrying drone regularly buzzing through the skyline of this futuristic city-state in July.

Mattar al-Tayer, the head of Dubai’s Roads & Transportation Agency, made the announcement on Monday at the World Government Summit.

The drone – a Chinese-made EHang 184 – is an egg-shaped craft with four legs sticking out, each with two small propellers.

The rider punches in a destination on a touch screen in front of the passenger seat, then the drone would fly there automatically.

The drone, which has a half-hour flight time, will be monitored remotely by a control room on the ground.

EHang did not respond to a request for comment. In May, authorities in Nevada announced they would partner with EHang to test the 184. </s> Dubai staged a test flight on Monday for what it said would soon be the world's first drone taxi service under an ambitious plan by the United Arab Emirates city to lead the Arab world in innovation. From a report: </s> DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Up, up and away: Dubai hopes to have a passenger-carrying drone regularly buzzing through the skyline of this futuristic city-state in July.

The arrival of the Chinese-made EHang 184 — which already has had its flying debut over Dubai's iconic, sail-shaped Burj al-Arab skyscraper hotel — comes as the Emirati city also has partnered with other cutting-edge technology companies, including Hyperloop One.

The question is whether the egg-shaped, four-legged craft will really take off as a transportation alternative in this car-clogged city already home to the world's longest driverless metro line.

Mattar al-Tayer, the head of Dubai's Roads & Transportation Agency, announced plans to have the craft regularly flying at the World Government Summit. Before his remarks on Monday, most treated the four-legged, eight-propeller craft as just another curiosity at an event that views itself as a desert Davos.

"This is not only a model," al-Tayer said. "We have actually experimented with this vehicle flying in Dubai's skies."

The craft can carry a passenger weighing up to 100 kilograms and a small suitcase. After buckling into its race-car-style seat, the craft's sole passenger selects a destination on a touch-screen pad in front of the seat and the drone flies there automatically.

The drone, which has a battery allowing for a half-hour flight time and a range of up to 50 kilometers, will be monitored remotely by a control room on the ground. It has a top speed of 160 kph, but authorities say it will be operated typically at 100 kph.

Al-Tayer said the drone would begin regular operations in July. He did not elaborate.

The Road and Transportation Agency later issued a statement saying the drone had been examined by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and was controlled through 4G mobile internet. The agency did not immediately respond to further questions from The Associated Press.

The United Arab Emirates already requires drone hobbyists to register their aircraft. However, drone intrusions at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, has seen it shut down for hours at a time in recent months.

EHang did not respond to a request for comment. In May, authorities in Nevada announced they would partner with EHang to test the 184 to possibly be cleared by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. </s> DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Up, up and away: Dubai hopes to have a passenger-carrying drone regularly buzzing through the skyline of this futuristic city-state in July.

The arrival of the Chinese-made EHang 184 — which already has had its flying debut over Dubai’s sail-shaped Burj al-Arab skyscraper hotel — comes as the Emirati city also has partnered with other cutting-edge technology companies, including Hyperloop One.

The question is whether the egg-shaped, four-legged craft will really take off as a transportation alternative in this car-clogged city already home to the world’s longest driverless metro line.

Mattar al-Tayer, the head of Dubai’s Roads & Transportation Agency, announced plans to have the craft regularly flying at the World Government Summit. Before his remarks on Monday, most treated the four-legged, eight-propeller craft as just another curiosity at an event that views itself as a desert Davos.

“This is not only a model,” al-Tayer said. “We have actually experimented with this vehicle flying in Dubai’s skies.”

The craft can carry a passenger weighing up to 220 pounds and a small suitcase. After buckling into its race-car-style seat, the craft’s sole passenger selects a destination on a touch-screen pad in front of the seat and the drone flies there automatically.

The drone, which has a battery allowing for a half-hour flight time and a range of up to 31 miles, will be monitored remotely by a control room on the ground. It has a top speed of 100 mph, but authorities say it will be operated typically at 62 mph.

Al-Tayer said the drone would begin regular operations in July. He did not elaborate.

The Road and Transportation Agency later issued a statement saying the drone had been examined by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and was controlled through 4G mobile internet. The agency did not immediately respond to further questions from The Associated Press.

The United Arab Emirates already requires drone hobbyists to register their aircraft. However, drone intrusions at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, has seen it shut down for hours at a time in recent months.

EHang did not respond to a request for comment. In May, authorities in Nevada announced they would partner with EHang to test the 184 to possibly be cleared by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

The drone may be a techno curiosity for now but Dubai — the commercial capital of the oil-rich UAE and home to the long-haul carrier Emirates — has bold visions for the future and the 184 fits right into its plans.

Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced in April he wanted 25 percent of all passenger trips in the city to be done by driverless vehicles in 2030. To that end, Dubai already has had the box-shaped driverless EZ10, built by France’s EasyMile, cruise nearby the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

In October, Dubai signed a deal with Los Angeles-based Hyperloop One to study the potential for building a hyperloop line between it and Abu Dhabi, the Emirati capital.

A hyperloop has levitating pods powered by electricity and magnetism that hurtle through low-friction pipes at a top speed of 1,220 kph (760 mph). Elon Musk, the co-founder of Tesla who appeared on Monday at the Dubai conference, first proposed the idea of a hyperloop in 2013.

Musk, who took no questions from reporters on Monday, later launched his Tesla car brand in Dubai at an event organizers said was not open to international media. Musk has come under criticism for serving on a business council advising U.S. President Donald Trump. </s> A drone that can carry people will kick off operations in Dubai from July, the head of the city’s Roads and Transportation Agency has announced at the World Government Summit.

The Chinese model eHang 184 has already had test flights, said Matt al-Tayer. The drone can carry one passenger weighing up to 100 kg (220 pounds) and has a 30 minute flight time.

The passenger uses a touch scren to select a destination. There are no other controls inside the craft.

It is “auto-piloted” by a command centre, according to a video released by the government agency.

It has reported speeds of up to 100 miles per hour (160 kilometres per hour) and can fly 31 miles (50km) on a single battery charge.

“This is not only a model,” Mr al-Tayer, according to a report by the Associated Press. “We have actually experimented with this vehicle flying in Dubai’s skies.”

Dr Steve Wright, senior lecturer in avionics and aircraft systems at the University of the West of England, told the BBC that safety would have to be paramount.

The device was also approved for testing in Nevada in June 2016. </s> Emirates Airline, the world's biggest international air carrier by traffic, said Wednesday it is cutting flights to five U.S. cities because of a drop in demand since President Donald Trump sought to curb immigration from several Muslim-majority countries and imposed restrictions on passengers carrying electronic devices on flights to the United States.

The Dubai-based carrier said that over the last three months, as Trump assumed power in Washington, it has seen "a significant deterioration" in bookings to the U.S. It said that "as any profit-oriented enterprise would," it has decided to cut service to the U.S. and instead move flights to other cities across the globe.

The U.S. in March cited terrorism threats as it banned air passengers from several Middle Eastern countries, including the United Arab Emirates, from carrying large electronic devices, such as laptops and tablets, in cabins on flights to the United States.

Earlier, Trump issued two orders, both blocked by U.S. courts, that sought to bar citizens from several majority-Muslim countries from entering the U.S., part of his effort to protect U.S. borders from new terrorist attacks and impose "extreme vetting" on immigrants looking to settle in the country.

The airline said "the recent actions taken by the U.S. government relating to the issuance of entry visas, heightened security vetting and restrictions on electronic devices in aircraft cabins have had a direct impact on consumer interest and demand for air travel into the U.S.”

Emirates said it would trim service next month to two cities in Florida, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, from daily to five times a week. In June, it plans to cut twice-a-day service to Seattle and Boston to once a day and make the same reduction in flights to Los Angeles in July.
The United Arab Emirates announces at the World Government Summit that its planned passenger drone will begin operations in July.