First air taxi service to launch in Ras Al Khaimah by 2027
Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority (RAKTA) has signed a strategic agreement with Joby Aviation and Skyports to roll out the UAE’s first electric air taxi network by 2027. The collaboration will deploy Joby’s zero-emission eVTOL aircraft and Skyports’ vertiport infrastructure to provide sustainable, high-speed connections across the emirate. The service is expected to dramatically reduce travel times, cutting a trip from Dubai International Airport to Al Marjan Island from over an hour by car to under 15 minutes by air.
The network will form part of RAKTA’s 2030 Mobility Master Plan and aims to connect major destinations including Al Marjan Island and Jebel Jais.
AirAsia first customer in DerbySoft’s flight distribution plan
DerbySoft has unveiled its Global Data Network (GDN) for flights, a decentralised, API-driven platform that allows airlines, OTAs, agencies, and distributors to connect directly and share flight inventory and data more flexibly and transparently. The new system shifts away from traditional hub-and-spoke distribution models, enabling better content sharing, dynamic pricing, and tighter control over how products are distributed across channels.
AirAsia is the first airline to join the network – giving it enhanced control over its own inventory and traveler data, and freeing it to tailor ancillary offers more precisely, according to DerbySoft. DerbySoft says with its GDN, AirAsia and other carriers may reduce dependency on intermediaries and unlock new revenue streams.
Most travellers ready to pay for a AI companion during their trip
A global survey by Amadeus reveals that 64% of travellers would be willing to pay for an AI assistant that offers in-trip information, such as updates, recommendations, and navigation help. About 17% of respondents said they would pay up to 5% of the total trip cost for such services.
The study gathered insights from 9,500 international travelers across markets including China, France, India, Singapore, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S., under its “Connected Journeys” report.
SAP Concur and Amex GBT unveil ‘Complete’, aimed at travel-and-expense
SAP Concur and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) have announced a strategic alliance to launch Complete, an integrated travel-and-expense platform that merges booking, servicing, payments, and expensing into one unified experience. Complete fuses Amex GBT’s marketplace — spanning more than 600 airlines and over 2 million properties — with Concur’s enterprise software, enabling richer content, smarter AI-driven personalization, and more seamless user journeys.
By embedding Amex GBT’s Egencia into Concur Expense and leveraging combined data and AI capabilities, the new system promises real-time insights, deeper policy compliance, and streamlined account management under a single team.
