Ras Al Khaimah has signed a cooperation agreement with Aridge, the Chinese advanced air mobility company formerly known as XPeng AeroHT, to create a regulatory sandbox for flying-car testing in the UAE. The programme, witnessed by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, will operate under the oversight of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and is intended to support trial flights, not an immediate passenger service.
Aridge will serve as the founding partner of the test zone and establish an operational presence in Ras Al Khaimah with aircraft and a specialist team. The sandbox is designed to validate flight procedures, airspace coordination, ground handling, passenger processing, turnaround and safety management in a controlled environment before wider operations are considered.
A proposed demonstration route between Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah forms part of the plan, although no launch date has been set and no aircraft type for the trials has been identified. The arrangement moves the UAE towards a formal framework for advanced air mobility, with Ras Al Khaimah’s transport authority leading the project alongside the civil aviation authorities.