Saudi Minister Announces Flying Taxis and Drones for Hajj Pilgrims: Advanced Transportation during the Season
Saudi Arabia's Minister of Transport and Logistics, Eng.
Saleh Al-Jasser, announced that pilgrims during this year's Hajj season will have the opportunity to use flying taxis and drones for transportation.
These advanced modes of transport are part of a competition among specialized companies in the transport sector.
Al-Jasser made this announcement during a press briefing after welcoming the first batch of foreign pilgrims at Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.
He emphasized the importance of understanding the technologies and appropriate environments for operating these transport methods during the Hajj season, and Saudi Arabia will be at the forefront to benefit from these services.
The Hajj season is expected to have the largest deployment of such advanced transport modes.
Saudi Arabian Airlines, along with Al-Jasser's prediction from last year, plans to introduce flying taxis as a new mode of transportation during the Hajj season.
The airline intends to purchase around 100 Lilium jets, German eVTOL aircraft, to shuttle between King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and airstrips in Makkah hotels near the Grand Mosque and other holy places.
A new electric plane named Lilium will be among the first to operate solely on electricity.
It will provide flights from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to airstrips near the Grand Mosque in Makkah during Hajj and Umrah seasons.
Lilium is an air taxi, which is a small commercial aircraft designed for on-demand, short flights.