UAE Residents Open to eVTOLs, According to New Survey

78 percent of residents in the United Arab Emirates feel that eVTOLs will be able to alleviate or solve traffic congestion within the city, according to a new study by UK-based market research and data analytics company YouGov.

The study, which surveyed more than 2000 residents in the UAE and Saudi Arabia in November, also found that 65 percent of respondents agree that traffic is a major concern in their city, particularly among working individuals.

Support was most evident among individuals between 25 and 34 years old, with 59 percent showing a favorable attitude towards eVTOLs, and just over half of respondents noting that flying taxis will be “extremely or somewhat safe.”

The survey, however, also noted that 74 percent of UAE residents feel that eVTOLs will only “help a certain stratum of society” and are not meant for everyone. 15 percent of respondents feel that they won’t be safe.

“Similar attitudes were seen in Saudi Arabia, where the majority (57 percent) agree traffic is a major concern in their city but it is lesser than those in the UAE who think the same. Saudi residents are as likely as UAE residents to consider flying taxis a safe option, and are equally likely to take this mode of transport in the future,” the data showed.

The survey comes after Chinese flying car company XPENG AEROHT conducted a 90-second test flight in Dubai in October, making it the first overseas public display of the company’s eVTOL, dubbed the XPENG X2. The eVTOL received a flying permit from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority prior to the test flight, which took place at GITEX GLOBAL 2022, one of the world’s largest tech shows, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.