During this year’s Hajj season, Saudi Arabia will test drones and flying taxis, according to Saleh al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistic Services. Al-Jasser emphasized the intense rivalry among transportation businesses to provide workable solutions in the upcoming years in an interview with Al-Arabiya.
Al-Jasser said that this industry was growing gradually and underlined how crucial it was that the ministry learn about these new technologies and investigate the best ways to incorporate them. He emphasized that Saudi Arabia must take the lead in implementing these services, especially to guarantee their significant presence during the Hajj season.
In the past, Saudi Arabian Airlines announced that it will use flying taxis to shuttle Hajj travelers from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to lodgings in Makkah. Saudia intends to purchase about 100 planes for this use.
The Saudia Group’s spokesman and director of corporate communications, Abdullah Al-Shahrani, said earlier in January that plans are in place to introduce air taxis as a new form of transportation during the Hajj season. The German electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) Lilium planes have been contracted by the Saudia Group to operate between Jeddah airport and specific airstrips close to Makkah hotels, including those close to the Grand Mosque and other holy sites.
