His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), has launched the ‘Dubai Program to Enable Drone Transportation.’
The initiative aims to improve Dubai’s global competitiveness by implementing modern technologies in key industries.
According to the statement, a unique pilot area will be allocated in Dubai Silicon Oasis for innovators and related entities from the UAE and abroad to develop and test new drone solutions and transform them into effective services that improve people’s lives and help achieve national economic goals.
Sheikh Hamdan said, “The Dubai Program to Enable Drone Transportation will create an advanced infrastructure that enables innovators and relevant entities to test prototypes of unmanned aerial vehicles in designated areas and develop legislation that optimizes their implementation.”
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Crown Prince of Dubai & Chairman of Dubai Executive Council
“The program aims to provide new economic opportunities and consolidate Dubai’s leadership in advanced technology research and development across diverse future-oriented sectors. Our projects place quality of life at the top of their priorities. We will continue to develop and implement innovative ideas on the ground. We have the right environment, infrastructure, and legislation for the use of drones. We have recognized the potential of drones in shaping the future early on and started testing it in the UAE by attracting thousands of innovators in this field from 165 countries to participate in the UAE Drones for Good Award that we launched in 2014. This marked the beginning of our journey with this emerging technology, and reaffirmed our belief in the importance of leveraging future technologies for the benefit of humankind.”
The program’s main goal is to explore the use of drones in a variety of fields, including health, security, shipping, and food. It also aims to enhance people’s lives by lowering carbon emissions generated by traditional shipping and transportation techniques and making commodities and materials easier to transfer.
DFF, in collaboration with DCAA, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), Fakeeh University Hospital, Majid Al Futtaim, and Emirates SkyCargo, Talabat, and Kitopi, will oversee the implementation of the Dubai Program to Enable Drone Transportation’s outputs through Dubai Future Labs, the region’s first applied R&D lab specializing in future technology.
President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group, His Highness Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said, “This Act is considered one of the projects of the Dubai Sky Dome Initiative; this initiative aims to create a virtual airspace infrastructure for drone systems, through which public spaces and buildings will be connected through airstrips and mini-airports throughout Dubai and to develop major infrastructure schemes for airports, airstrips, multi-use stations, and ground service sites.”
“This initiative will also include the development of systems to manage the movement of drones and the development of an integrated smart platform for all services related to the organization of drone operations, such as the granting of immediate permits to drones and their operators, to ensure air security and safety and ensure that the efficiency of Emirates’ airspace is not affected. This program is considered one of the leading and innovative initiatives that are the result of joint efforts between government and private parties to achieve the vision of the future”, he further added.
