Your next delivery in Saudi Arabia may be through a drone
We’re living in the future
One thing we’re all guilty of (or at least most of us are) is being very impatient the minute we place an online order. Almost like we’re expecting it to be delivered as soon as we hit place order. Well, we might be nearer to that than you think. Enter drone delivery in Saudi Arabia.
When speaking to Al-Eqtisadiah, the Saudi Transport Minister Saleh Al-Jasser stated that the Kingdom is working on opening new logistics centres at airports and ports, investing in its infrastructure, and attracting major global companies in the transport and services sector this year, Arab News reported.
Speaking to the publication on the sidelines of the inauguration of a UPS shipping operations centre at the cargo village of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, he also added that allowing the use of drones to transport goods will not be far off. Currently, trials are being conducted on the matter.
He explained that drones are a fundamental part of work in the logistics sector and are employed in various forms, including road inspections and many complementary tasks.
Trials in Jeddah
Trials for drone delivery in Saudi Arabia started in Jeddah late last year, in September. The initiative was part of a bigger push by the transport and logistics ecosystem to modernise the postal sector. GACA was responsible for aviation-related operations and regulations, while the TGA looked after the postal sector’s regulatory framework and supportive legislation.
Vice Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and Acting President of the Transport General Authority (TGA), Dr. Rumaih Al-Rumaih stressed that the introduction of drone technology is a significant jump for the parcel delivery sector. This step is expected to open up new opportunities for expanding services and developing new solutions, aligning with the Kingdom’s digital transformation goals.
