Flying taxis, autonomous cars, and seagliders will be a popular mode of transport in the UAE and globally, much sooner than expected.
This was the consensus at Abu Dhabi’s first DRIFTx event, which was attended by over 8,000 visitors from more than 25 countries. DRIFTx assembled global leaders from around the world, enabling engaging discussions, fostering meaningful collaborations, and providing an ideal platform to showcase and unlock innovative technologies across air, land, and sea applications.
Through showcasing the latest solutions, DRIFTx promoted partnerships and unlocked commercial and investment opportunities in the mobility space, supporting Abu Dhabi’s vision to provide a global platform that can be used as a test bed for technologies that are shaping the future of transportation and mobility across the world.
His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs, inaugurated the Abu Dhabi Mobility Week. As part of the evening’s program, His Highness toured the DRIFTx exhibition to witness the industry’s latest innovations and solutions.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan toured DRIFTx, visiting a number of local and international company pavilions, and discussed the latest technology and solutions in the field. His Highness was accompanied by His Excellency Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport; and His Excellency Ahmed Jasem Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Department of Economic Development.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation, toured DRIFTx, and viewed the autonomous vehicle showcases and innovations presented at the event.
Hasan Ahmed Al Hosani, Managing Director, Bayanat, said; “We are proud to have been part of what can only be described as a leading platform for global mobility experts and innovators.
“Over the two days, DRIFTx presented enlightening discussions and fostered key collaborations, helping to propel the future of mobility at the global stage and to drive Abu Dhabi’s efforts in redefining possibilities for smart and autonomous vehicles and sustainable mobility applications.”
DRIFTx concluded with 12 MoUs and agreements signed between key local and global players in urban mobility. These strategic agreements advance future mobility solutions bringing them closer to operational launch in civil use-cases.
Amongst the key collaborations announced at DRIFTx was an agreement between the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) with Archer Aviation to accelerate Archer’s planned commercial air taxi operations in the UAE, slated to launch as soon as next year.
Furthermore, ADIO announced its collaboration with electric seaglider pioneer, REGENT Craft to support and attract investment for seaglider development and manufacturing at the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) cluster. The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), represented by Abu Dhabi Mobility (AD Mobility), also signed a memorandum of understanding with REGENT to provide low-hovering maritime transport for both passenger and freight transport, accelerating the establishment of an integrated transport system and supporting goals aiming to reduce carbon emissions.
Joby Aviation has also signed a multilateral MoU with the Department of Municipalities and Transport – Abu Dhabi (DMT), the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) to support and scale Joby air taxi services in the UAE.
Leading fintech group in the MENA region, Multi Level Group (MLG) partnered with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to drive eVTOL development in the UAE and beyond, signing a trilateral agreement with EHang. EHang is looking to set up their regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi to promote business activities with local partners including manufacturing, flight operations, research and development, training and Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facilities.
FEST Auto Global Holding Ltd (FEST), a global mobility solutions company with a mission to redefine urban transportation, with Abu Dhabi University (ADU), aimed at fostering innovation in sustainable urban mobility. FEST and ADU will work together to enhance FEST’s proprietary Fleet Management System (FMS) and Vehicle Management System (VMS). These systems are designed to increase operational efficiency through advanced system customization and to showcase the practical viability of FEST’s customized electric vans in real-world applications.
Bayanat announced a series of initiatives, including the launch of the Daleel App, in beta testing. Unveiled during DRIFTx, Daleel is a cutting-edge navigation application developed in-house by Bayanat specifically for the GCC region, and optimized for the UAE, for smart phone users. Bayanat is also partnering with South Korean autonomous technology firm, Autonomous a2z to combine their expertise in pioneering cutting-edge autonomous fleet operations. It also signed an agreement with AUTOCRYPT, an industry-leading V2X security provider and system integrator, to combine its expertise in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) infrastructure deployment with Bayanat’s AI Smart Roads, enabling and advancing Level 4+ autonomous driving.
Manta Aircraft announced strategic support by Altair for Manta Aircraft’s innovative program, which offers unlimited simulation and data analytics software. Altair will provide software tools and computational intelligence solutions in the areas of digital engineering, AI, and data analytics technologies.
DRIFTx also featured a number of “firsts”, including product unveilings, new showcases, and attracting international mobility entities to the UAE for the first time. This included the UAE’s first operational vertiport for vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) which was unveiled by ADIO, in collaboration with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and The Department of Municipalities and Transport – Abu Dhabi (DMT), represented by Abu Dhabi Mobility (AD Mobility), an affiliate of the Department of Municipalities and Transport – Abu Dhabi (DMT).
GMC, one of General Motors’ most popular vehicle brands, and Bin Hamooda Auto – GMC dealership for Abu Dhabi, displayed the brand’s first all-electric supertruck, the GMC HUMMER EV Pickup and SUV. Furthermore, May Mobility showcased its autonomous vehicle solutions for the first time in the region. The company works with existing transit systems to provide safe, accessible and equitable autonomous transportation.
Namir Hourani, Managing Director of GMOLx, organizers of DRIFTx, said; “This week, some of the world’s most forward-thinking leaders and brightest minds convened at DRIFTx in Abu Dhabi, unlocking extremely important discussions that are sure to shape the way people and goods are transported, with advanced solutions.
“Across the two days, we had an impressive speaker lineup, unique exhibitions, and exciting live demonstrations, truly demonstrating and displaying the future of urban air, land, and sea mobility. DRIFTx 2025 will be even bigger, and we’re looking forward to building on the energy and amazing vibe we witnessed this week to inspire another round of real-world breakthroughs.”
Bayanat collaborated with FlyNow Aviation providing visitors with the chance to virtually take to the skies of Abu Dhabi with the revolutionary eVTOL eCopter, in addition to showing its full-scale HAPS in Abu Dhabi for the first time.
Attendees also got the chance to experience innovations that have come to the UAE for the first time, including a2z’s MS MiniBus, Carnival Robo taxi, and remote control driving from Abu Dhabi to Korea. Furthermore, Multi-Level Group showcased Wings Logistics Hub’s intra-city passenger taxi, and a short-range light cargo drone which performed flying demonstrations within the event space. Visitors also got to view Big Drone by DCL, which provided an aerobatic drone for human flight, Ocean Drone 30 by Ocean Drone, and Fugro demonstrated the Blue Shadow.
