UAE takes first steps in eVTOL and electric drone manufacturing: Abu Dhabi-based infrastructure investment company Monarch Holding signed an agreement with China-based autonomous and electric air mobility company Ehang Holding to establish a manufacturing facility for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts and drones, Wam reported on Friday. The facility, which will be the first of its kind in the region, aims to manufacture electric vehicles for both passenger and cargo use.

Integrating eVTOL infrastructure is part of the agreement: Monarch and Ehang aim to establish a command-and-control center to manage air mobility autonomously, as well as build a micro-scale airport — known as “vertiports” — designed for eVTOLs. The agreement also includes a plan to train Emirati staff in operation and maintenance of the emerging technologies. The companies did not disclose where the vertiport will be located.

Not the first Emirati vertiport lined up: Canadian air mobility infrastructure developer Vports signed an agreement with UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah Airport last month to build and operate a vertiport designed for eVTOL aircrafts.

And the UAE is establishing itself as a site for eVTOL flight testing: Vports signed in December a 25-year lease agreement with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority and the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub to build an eVTOL flight testing site, at which Japan’s SkyDrive will be testing its eVTOLs. The country also granted US logistics firm United Portal Services a temporary flight permit to conduct flight tests to trial its eVTOL fleet.