Latest news with #VandenBosch
Arabian Business
08-04-2025
- Automotive
- Arabian Business
EXCLUSIVE: First flying cars to hit UAE skies in 2027 at $799,000 per vehicle
Dutch company PAL-V has secured final regulatory approval for its flying car after a 12-year certification process, paving the way for the world's first commercially available flying car to debut in the United Arab Emirates by early 2027, the company's chief commercial officer told Arabian Business. The two-seat PAL-V Liberty, priced at $799,000, will begin production next year in the Netherlands with initial European deliveries scheduled for late 2026, followed shortly by rollout in the UAE through regional partner Jetex. 'We just had last Thursday the final signature of IATA,' Marco van den Bosch, Chief Commercial Officer of PAL-V, said in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Investment Meeting Congress on Monday. 'After nearly 12 years of certification, we got the final 'there's no objection'. So everything is okay now for IATA and FAA,' he added, referring to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the US Federal Aviation Administration. The dual-mode vehicle operates as both a car on roads and transforms into a gyroplane for flight, offering a unique solution to urban congestion while catering to the luxury transportation market in the region. Final verification flights Before commercial rollout, the company will conduct 100 hours of 'verification flying' in early 2026, Van den Bosch explained. 'It's not test flying anymore, because it's a finished product,' he said, emphasising that regulatory hurdles that typically take 10-12 years for new aircraft have now been cleared. The vehicle, which represents a significant advance in personal mobility, will be introduced first in Europe before expanding to the UAE through the company's partnership with Jetex, a leading private aviation services provider in the region. 'We have a fantastic partner [Jetex]. We have worked now on not only selling the flying car, but you have to build a kind of ecosystem,' Van den Bosch said, explaining that infrastructure for maintenance and operations is already being developed. The company will conduct demonstration flights in Dubai and across the UAE beginning in late 2026, with plans to establish dedicated training centres for new owners. Built for sandy conditions The PAL-V Liberty has been specifically designed to handle desert environments, making the UAE an ideal market, according to the company. 'If you look at the machine, it's very good in what they call sandy conditions. Normally, [combining] sand and engines is a problem,' Van den Bosch said. 'For example, the helicopter starts flying amongst sand, and then it will sand blast your engines.' The flying car requires relatively modest infrastructure — a takeoff area of just 200 metres by 30 metres — which can be established in various locations throughout the region. For landing, the space requirement is even smaller at just 30 metres. 'These are grassroots or sandy overall… it's very small,' Van den Bosch explained, adding that the gyroplane design offers significant safety advantages, including the ability to make emergency landings in very limited spaces. 'The great thing about the gyroplane is that we have two engines in it. These are redundant, so if one fails, I still can fly. If they both fail, I've got a kind of flying parachute, which means that I can steer, and I only need zero to 30 metres to do a landing or an emergency landing.' Dual licensing requirement Owners will need both a driving licence and a private pilot licence to operate the vehicle, with PAL-V offering an expedited training programme designed for busy entrepreneurs. 'We made a special private training, because these are all entrepreneurs and have money, but time is also essential. So we put that in six times five days,' Van den Bosch said, describing a focused training regimen that combines theoretical knowledge with practical skills. The company has established a flight school in the Netherlands and plans to open additional facilities in Italy and the UAE to support the growing customer base. Market positioning At $799,000, the PAL-V Liberty represents a significant investment, but the company positions it as cost-effective compared to alternatives like helicopters. 'It's nearly 10 times cheaper to fly this than a helicopter,' Van den Bosch claimed, adding that the PAL-V can perform '90 per cent of the helicopter roles' including observation, medical services, and logistics. The company sees strong demand from both government agencies and wealthy individuals looking to avoid traffic congestion in major cities. Interestingly, about 90 per cent of the current customer base consists of individuals who have never flown before, Van den Bosch revealed. 'The only two solutions for [traffic congestion] is either into the ground or into the air,' he said. 'So a lot of things are happening, and they say the next 10 years will see more changes than in the past 100 years.' Regional expansion plans Following the UAE launch, PAL-V aims to expand across the Middle East, with its partnership with Jetex covering the entire UAE market initially. 'We made a deal with Jetex for the whole UAE,' Van den Bosch confirmed, adding that the company has previously showcased its vehicle in Saudi Arabia and sees potential for further regional growth. The company chose the UAE as its Middle East entry point due to the region's high spending power, suitable climate conditions, and existing aviation infrastructure through Jetex. 'With the partner Jetex, we already have the flying environment. They already have the DNA of flying. So we're very happy and it's easy to work with Jetex,' he said. As urban mobility continues to evolve, PAL-V believes the time is right for flying cars to become a reality, with Van den Bosch expressing complete confidence in the market's readiness. 'Because the materials are there, the safety possibilities are like 100 per cent, and if you look at the mobility, specifically in and around the big cities, it's going to be a mess in the coming 10 years,' he said. For residents of Dubai, the flying car could dramatically reduce travel times during peak hours. 'If I have to go from, let's say, the south to the north of Dubai… I can fly it in five minutes,' Van den Bosch said.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Eggs are a hot commodity. On social media, posting about them can help you go viral.
On social media, a good crisis never goes to waste. The ongoing nationwide egg shortages tied to the bird flu emergency have spawned their own content niche, with people posting videos about everything from the egg inventory at grocery stores to their experiences with hatching their own chicks. Content related to the egg shortage has amassed millions of views online in recent weeks, as consumers turn to social media to help them navigate the egg frenzy. 'I'm not really surprised only because everyone's talking about the price of eggs and how expensive everything is,' said TikTok creator Magda, who posts videos to her TikTok account magdacious about the fluctuating cost of eggs since President Donald Trump took office for a second term. 'I think it affects a lot of people.' The New Jersey-based creator, who asked to be identified only by her first name due to doxxing concerns, said she has tried to 'go viral' on social media since 2012. But it wasn't until last month that people began gravitating toward her content, asking her to share her Google Sheet that tracks egg costs at several grocery stores nationwide. A dozen large Grade A eggs hit an average of $4.95 in January, federal data shows, surpassing the last peak of $4.82 in January 2023. In between, prices dipped — last January, the average was just $2.52. Some of the nation's biggest grocery store chains — including Trader Joe's, Walmart and Costco — have begun limiting the number of eggs individual consumers can buy. Like Magda, other creators have also seen success with their egg content, even ones that weren't posted with the current situation in mind. 'I never set out to actually do a series,' said Magda. 'But because it drove so much engagement, and so many people wanted to learn more and were invested in, you know, the bit, I'm like, 'Well, sure. Why not? Someone's got to do it.'' On TikTok, one video shows a long line outside of Costco and then a frenzy surrounding the egg display. Several broken cartons of eggs can be seen amid the chaos. In another video, one man documents himself getting his girlfriend 'something expensive' for Valentine's Day: eggs at the grocery store. One particularly popular video from artist and mother Kate Vanden Bosch documented her buying fertile eggs from Trader Joe's and incubating them. Twenty-one days later, Vanden Bosch had eight chicks — and now, almost 5 million views on a TikTok documenting the journey. Though her original intent was not to raise chickens to mitigate the price of eggs, Vanden Bosch said she believes it's likely the reason so many viewers have flocked to her content. Some of her viewers have commented that they feel inspired to replicate her experiment. 'People are just realizing more just how bad our food system is,' she said. 'And I think people are curious about, you know, just growing their own food and raising their own food. So it's interesting.'This article was originally published on
