Drone deliveries coming to Dubai soon

Deliveries in Dubai could soon be taking to the skies, with drone-based services set to become a reality across the emirate.

It’s currently a beta phase concept in the West, with Amazon leading the drive for drone delivery services in the UK and USA. In theory, customers can place an order online which is then fulfilled locally by a self-piloting drone, which is able to drop packages of under 5kg to the customer’s door within hours. 

The self-flying drones will be run on cutting-edge technology and managed through a mobile platform to help businesses manage and track their orders. According to Arabian Business, a Dubai-based tech company is working on bringing this tech to the emirate, specifically to Emirates Hills, The Meadows, The Springs, The Greens, Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim.

The arrival of drone delivery adds further momentum to Dubai’s smart city aspirations, which has seen strides being made recently through projects like self-flying taxis and self-driving public transport. The RTA is currently in the midst of trialling self-flying taxis, which will allegedly be capable of travelling across the city at high speeds taking passengers directly to their destination. 

Trials have already started in the emirate, and further live trials are due to begin through the rest of 2017, and shows the RTA is serious about its pledge to automate 25 percent of all transport in the city by 2030.