Dubai launches first-of-its kind drone delivery services
Dubai on Tuesday started drone deliveries of medicines and packages.
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) granted the first licence for Keeta Drone to deliver goods in Dubai Silicon Oasis (DS) in Phase 1, with six drones in Phase 1. Tuesday night a signing ceremony was held in Dubai as the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) handed out the first licenced operator in Dubai’s drone transportation program.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been blazing up new ways of travelling through drones and flying cars, to cut down on traffic jams and to accommodate technology.
Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) rolled out four live drone delivery routes from DSO, connecting Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT-Dubai) to Dubai Digital Park to deliver food, medicine, and other supplies at an ultra-rapid speed.
In collaboration with Fakeeh University Hospital, Americana and Rochester Institute of Technology, Keeta Drone is looking at wider applications of drones, including emergency services and critical medical supplies.
First order
After the first-ever drone delivery system in the Middle East has been rolled out at Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the first order was made by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), who ordered through the drone delivery system from the platform from the Rochester Institute of Technology-Dubai (RIT-Dubai), one of the landing spots on DSO’s drone delivery network. The order was delivered from one of the take-off spots in town.
"We are still working on projects that fuel an inclusive, dynamic digital economy through cutting-edge technologies in Dubai and enabling the aviation and air transport industry. Our vision is to support stronger public-private collaborations to spur research and development (R&D), sustainable growth and smart mobility. This goes hand in hand with Dubai Economic Agenda D33 which seeks to make Dubai one of the world’s top three cities," said Sheikh Hamdan.
"We launched the UAE Drones for Good Award 10 years ago to promote the use of drones for good. "We now have reached a milestone and are ready to start drone deliveries," the Crown Prince of Dubai added.
Expanding across Dubai
Drone deliveries will be 33 per cent of Dubai’s population by 2030, Mohammed Abdulla Lengawi, director-general of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, said as the emirate is considered a world leader in smart mobility.
He also pointed out that the delivery process is 100% safe and secured.
"In addition, when the experiment was run, all parameters were evaluated. In our eyes, it’s absolutely dependable because it’s been around for a few years. It has been tested for 1,5 years and backup mechanism is also tried. Keeta Drone worked together on any data and infrastructure changes that were required," he said.
"We are starting from Dubai Silicon Oasis with six drones. We have 4 paths in Silicon Oasis and we will be moving outwards. In Dubai we are going to cover it 100% in a longer term perspective. "We’re talking about the most suitable sites for the second phase. After that, we’ll have more channels," Lengawi said.
The vice-president of Meituan and president of Keeta Drone, Yinian Mao, said the firm moved into Dubai after expanding in China.
"Dubai’s demand for on-demand delivery services and operational issues associated with extreme weather conditions show how drone delivery can become more efficient and trustworthy. Dubai is an example of a city that should not only be emulated but also other cities in the GCC and Mena. We showed this last year at Gitex. Then more than a year has passed in inspections, flight checks and safety checks. We now know much better local law as well," Mao added Tuesday.
It is a transformative technology said Dr Mohaymen Abdelghany, CEO of Fakeeh University Hospital UAE.
"Drone delivery can allow our patients to get in care faster and quicker, without relying on traffic. We’ll eventually be able to carry blood and blood samples, if we get the drones with better range. Dubai is the place that does things," Abdelghany added.
400K delivery from Keeta till date
The first overseas licence for a Chinese drone logistics operator is held by Keeta Drone, which is owned by Chinese technology and retail giant Meituan.
The firm started looking into drones for air-ground local deliveries for smooth service in 2017 and launched the first commercial delivery in Shenzhen, China in 2021. By December 2024, Keeta Drone had 53 routes in Chinese metropolises including Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, with over 400,000 deliveries. The service operates across several locations — in offices, homes, tourist destinations, parks, college campuses, libraries — with a selection of more than 90000 products.
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