Omani startup a step closer to launching flying cars

Omani startup AeroVecto has signed an agreement with a Romanian vertiport developer to develop services for the launch of flying cars in the sultanate.

AeroVecto is developing a vehicle called the Shuttle, an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, for mass public transportation, with variants planned for cargo delivery, emergency response and premium travel, Oman Daily Observer reported.

LYNEports, which is based in Craiova in Romania, will assist in plans for the Shuttle network in the country, ensuring each site complies with aviation-grade safety, operational and regulatory standards.

The project is part of the Gulf nation’s wider ambitions to develop its advanced air mobility (AAM) sector in support of its Vision 2040 goals.

The ministry of transport, communications and information technology is developing a national AAM strategy to integrate drones and eVTOLs into the country’s transport network.

In July 2024 state-run Mwasalat signed a deal with US-based Odys Aviation to develop target routes and services for the latter’s Laila, a hybrid eVTOL aircraft.

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Dubai and Abu Dhabi are developing plans to operate vertical take-off and landing aircraft in their respective emirates, with plans for vertiports already unveiled. 

In March Doroni Aerospace, a US developer of eVTOL aircraft, secured an additional $150 million from a Saudi investor.

Archer Aviation, the California-based air taxi operator, signed an agreement with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office last October to establish a manufacturing centre in Abu Dhabi.