Sheikh Hamdan floats plan to enable drone transportation in Dubai

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

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 Programme to Enable Drone Transportation.

The programme promotes the development and adoption of cutting-edge technologies in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to strengthen Dubai’s global competitiveness in adopting advanced technologies in vital sectors.

Sheikh Hamdan said: “The Dubai Programme 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 optimises their implementation.

“The programme aims to provide new economic opportunities and consolidate Dubai’s leadership in advanced technology research and development across diverse future-oriented sectors.”

He added: “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 also have the laboratories, expertise and talent to translate prototypes into viable solutions.”

He concluded: “We have recognized the potential of drones in shaping the future early on, and started testing it in the UAE through 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 believe  in the importance of leveraging future technologies for the benefit of humankind.”

The primary objective of the Dubai Programme to Enable Drone Transportation is exploring the use of drones in several sectors, including health, security, shipping and food.

The programme seeks to improve people’s lives by reducing carbon emissions generated by traditional shipping and transportation methods and facilitating the movement of goods and materials.
This way, it will contribute to positioning Dubai as one of the smartest cities in the world.

The programme also aims to attract talent as well as local and foreign investments to the drone applications sector, in addition to creating new jobs and stimulating economic activity in relevant fields.