dnata has successfully integrated autonomous drones into its cargo operations in Dubai, as it looks to deliver enhanced operational efficiencies and remarkable benefits for its airline partners. 

The airside services provider first introduced drones to its cargo operations in the UAE in 2022, which have now integrated into the operations’ daily workflow and warehouse inventory processes. 

The company found out that the use of drones resulted to 20 percent reduction in processing times on the rack inventories and over 99 percent accuracy in shipment tracking for airline partners at both Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC). 

On average, these drones monitor some 1,800 shipments daily with 99 percent accuracy across 2,400 rack locations. dnata’s technology partner, Gather AI, has developed a software that enables the drones to map the environment, collect inventory data, count cases, measure temperature, and read barcodes using only their cameras, without the need for any additional active infrastructure. 

The drones, which can be used within cold chain facilities, can be paired to a tablet device providing live inventory data. The collected data can be viewed directly on the tablet or the web dashboard, via an application. 

dnata plans to introduce the drones at further stations across its global cargo network in the next years, claiming that it has also contributed to a reduction in carbon footprint and improved safety by reducing the need for mobile elevating work platforms (also known as ‘cherry pickers’)