The RAK vertiport network has moved from concept to contract. On 28 September 2026, the Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority (RAKTA) and Skyports Infrastructure signed a binding Definitive Agreement to build and operate a four-vertiport Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) network across the emirate, with commercial flights targeted for the third quarter of 2027. Phase one will link two of Ras Al Khaimah’s biggest visitor draws, Al Marjan Island and Jebel Jais, while Dubai is lined up as the first inter-emirate connection. For a destination preparing for Wynn Al Marjan Island and a sharp rise in visitor numbers, the deal sets out how people could be moving between the coast and the mountains within two years.
What RAKTA and Skyports Have Agreed
The agreement was signed at RAKTA headquarters by Director General Eng. Esmaeel Hasan Al Blooshi and Skyports CEO Duncan Walker, in the presence of Sheikh Omar bin Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Chairman of RAKTA. It is the third step in a partnership that started with a Memorandum of Understanding in 2024 and a Framework Agreement in 2025. This latest document is binding, which is what takes the programme out of the planning stage and into delivery.
Under the deal, Skyports will develop and operate the ground infrastructure: the vertiports where electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will board passengers, land and charge. The first two sites will serve Al Marjan Island, the man-made archipelago that is home to the Wynn resort and a growing cluster of beach hotels, and Jebel Jais, the UAE’s highest mountain. Two more vertiports are planned for later phases, subject to business cases, further planning and regulatory approval.
RAKTA says the network is being designed to handle different certified aircraft types and approved operators, rather than being tied to a single manufacturer. That flexibility matters in a sector where aircraft certification is still moving at different speeds around the world.
Why Air Mobility Matters for Ras Al Khaimah
The announcement lands during a busy period for the emirate. Ras Al Khaimah recorded a record 670,000 visitors in the first half of 2026, and tourism officials are targeting 3.5 million annual visitors by 2030. The hotel pipeline is expanding quickly, and Wynn Al Marjan Island is now scheduled to open in September 2027, the same quarter the first vertiport services are meant to begin.
RAKTA frames the programme as part of its Comprehensive Mobility Plan 2030, which focuses on connectivity, sustainability, innovation and integration. The authority says transport needs to grow alongside the tourism, hospitality, real estate and population growth the emirate is seeing, and that air mobility will sit alongside roads, taxis and public transport rather than replace them.
The Skyports deal also builds on other recent moves. Earlier this month Ras Al Khaimah signed an agreement with Aridge to create a flying vehicle test zone, and the emirate has already passed a law regulating autonomous vehicles. Taken together, these steps put RAK among the more active emirates in next-generation transport. For Skyports, which is also building vertiport infrastructure in Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah becomes another link in a planned UAE-wide AAM system.
What This Means for Visitors and Residents
At the moment, getting from Al Marjan Island to the top of Jebel Jais means a drive of roughly an hour, the final part of it up a winding mountain road. A direct air link could cut that to minutes and make it far easier to combine a beach stay with mountain activities such as the zipline, the new Grand Loop trail and via ferrata, or a night at an upcoming mountain lodge.
A future Dubai connection would matter even more for visitors who fly into Dubai International and currently face a road transfer of an hour or more to reach RAK. No fares, schedules or operators have been announced yet, and timelines for new transport technology often shift, so travellers should treat Q3 2027 as a target rather than a promise.
Until then, the road is still the main way in. Our Ras Al Khaimah travel advice covers getting around the emirate today, and our guide to things to do in Ras Al Khaimah shows what is already worth the trip between the coast and the mountains. We will update this story as RAKTA and Skyports publish more details on locations, aircraft partners and pricing.
Source: Gulf News