Meituan, a Chinese firm, is broadening its drone delivery operations in Dubai, marking its first international testing ground.
The organization is set to introduce up to three additional drone delivery routes in the latter half of this year, with the possibility of further expansions, according to vice president Yinian Mao in an interview with Bloomberg News.
This service will be available along the Dubai Marina area, primarily aimed at urgent emergencies and the transport of medical supplies, as noted in the report.
Meituan commenced its drone delivery services in Dubai in December.
The company, which is based in Beijing, began its journey into autonomous delivery technology in 2016 and aims to have established 53 routes throughout China by the end of 2024, having completed nearly 500,000 deliveries to date.
Mao mentioned that the company anticipates that between 10 to 15 percent of instant delivery requests worldwide will be managed through aerial transport.
In February, the United Arab Emirates began creating air corridors and forming a regulatory system to facilitate the operation of both piloted and autonomous air taxis, along with cargo drones.
The General Civil Aviation Authority, in collaboration with two entities from the Advanced Technology Research Council – the Technology Innovation Institute and Aspire – is set to outline operational routes and regulations within the next 20 months.
In December 2024, Mohamad Charafeddine, Careem’s vice president for product focusing on data and AI, expressed to AGBI that the demand for drone deliveries throughout the Middle East is projected to rise substantially over the coming ten years.
In parallel, Saudi Arabia successfully conducted a pilot program for drone-based medicine delivery linking primary healthcare centers with hospitals during this year’s Hajj, as reported by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
This initiative aimed to enhance response efficiency and support healthcare services by delivering medicines and medical supplies throughout the Hajj period.
For instance, Mina Emergency Hospital received a drone delivery that included ice packs intended for treating heat-related illnesses during the event.
The drone delivery service operates through a multi-phase approach, with the final stage incorporating scheduling and real-time tracking managed from a centralized monitoring dashboard.
