30-06-2025
- Business
- Time Out Abu Dhabi
Drone parcel deliveries will soon be a thing in Abu Dhabi
The skies over Khalifa City just got a whole lot busier – Abu Dhabi has officially kicked off its first drone parcel delivery test flight.
Yes, your packages will soon be dropping from the sky (safely, of course), thanks to a slick new trial that could totally transform how we get our stuff.
The pilot project saw a delivery drone whisk a package from a local post office and lower it via winch to a drop zone. It's fast, futuristic and could be a real game-changer for last-mile delivery in the UAE.
الرحلة التجريبية لتوصيل الطرود بطائرة درون، والتي انطلقت من مدينة خليفة إلى نقطة محددة في أبوظبي باستخدام نظام توصيل آمن قائم على طائرات الدرون، أسهمت في التحقق من الكفاءة التشغيلية لهذه المنظومة، بما يرسّخ ريادة أبوظبي في مجال تطوير بنية تحتية لوجستية ذكية ومتطورة ذاتية التشغيل. — مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@ADMediaOffice) June 25, 2025
This airborne experiment is part of a broader push to modernise logistics in the capital, led by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), aviation tech firm LODD and investment group 7X, which includes Emirates Post and EMX. It's also backed by the Smart and Autonomous Systems Council – the same people bringing self-flying air taxis to life.
They're not just in it for the wow factor, though. The long-term goal? Faster delivery times, reduced road traffic and better access to services for remote or underserved areas.
With the skies opening up, drone tech could bring efficiency gains that land-based couriers just can't compete with.
The move is part of a bigger picture, too. Across the UAE, drone and air taxi projects are taking off – literally. In Dubai, drone deliveries of food and medicine have already launched, and Abu Dhabi has been trialling flying taxis that will soon zip passengers around the city at altitude.
Meanwhile, the UAE's aviation authorities are busy crafting the regulations to make all this airborne ambition safe and scalable.
It's all building toward a future where smart mobility is the norm, not the novelty. From drone couriers to flying taxis, the UAE is turning its sci-fi dreams into a very real, very high-tech reality. And judging by this first successful drone flight, the age of skyborne delivery might be closer than you think.
So next time you hear a buzzing overhead… it might just be your lunch.
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