We’re living in the future…

Everyone knows that Dubai is an advanced place when it comes to technology, whether it’s self driving cars or flying taxis, but drones are used in Dubai for many instances in day-to-day running of the city. We’ve gathered a list of all the ways that Dubai uses drones, take a look…

Cloud seeding…?

The UAE has been actively pursuing cloud seeding as part of its efforts to enhance water resources and address water scarcity in the region. The 7th International Rain Enhancement Forum (IREF) took place at the Conrad Abu Dhabi, Etihad Towers between January 28 and 30, 2025 and invited the world’s leading experts, researchers, policymakers and weather scientists to discuss a range of topics related to cloud seeding and rain enhancement programme The conference, featured more than 65 headline speakers, and included such topics as the use of Artificial Intelligence, the deployment of drones, the potential efficacy of new cloud-seeding materials, limited-area climate interventions, hybrid AI-physics models, and completely novel approaches. Could the UAE soon be using drones to cloud seed?

Dubai Metro cleaning

Dubai recently announced that they are trialing an initiative to use drones to clean the outside of the Dubai Metro stations. The drones are able to spray water and are controlled by the team on the ground.

Entertainment

DUBAI DRONE SHOW

Everyone has heard of the famous and super impressive Dubai drone shows that take place during Dubai Shopping festival every night of December and January, and if you haven’t, have you been living under a rock? They’re some of the most impressive displays and it lit a up the skies at Bluewaters and The Beach opposite JBR every day with not one, but two displays.

Sight the moon

This year, UAE announced that they planned on deploying artificial intelligence (AI) drones to sight the crescent moon that marks the beginning of Ramadan 2025. The innovative approach to moon sighting aims to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of the centuries-old tradition that determines the start of the Islamic Holy Month.

Firefighting

Drones are revolutionizing emergency services in Dubai and Dubai Civil Defence are utilising drones to aid in firefighting missions. The drones are able to fly over the scene of a fire or traffic accident, and provide live video back to the control room of Dubai Civil Defence.

Deliveries

In December last year, with His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) launched a new drone delivery system, the very first of its kind in the Middle East.

The operators behind the new delivery system are Keeta Drone, a Chinese firm, who were awarded the license by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA).

Sheikh Hamdan actually placed the first drone order from the Rochester Institute of Technology-Dubai (RIT-Dubai) platform in Dubai Silicon Oasis – a designated landing pad of the drone delivery network. And whilst the initial operation is boutique in its capacity, it’s expected to cover 33 per cent of the total land area of Dubai by 2030. That’s an impressive expansion plan.

Waste management

It was announced in 2016 that drones would be used for waste management department and will“carry out inspections across deserts and beaches”.

“We initially purchased the drone to monitor the landfill sites at Al Ghusais, Jebel Ali and Al Warsan, because as per regulations, they are allowed to reach up to 30 metres high,” Abdul Majeed Al Saifaie, director of the Waste Management Department, told Gulf News.

Dubai Municipality is particularly keen on these drone patrols because they are cost effective – at first they’re likely to monitor campsites and people having barbecues at beaches (as those are two of the times that litter is often left behind). The mini flying machines will also be used to monitor trucks that dump their waste illegally

Monitoring traffic

The futuristic Dubai Police force have been using high-tech drones to monitor traffic since 2017, when it was first announced. The police use them to keep an eye on traffic anywhere in the city and drones are to capture live recordings of the roads, which will be broadcast back to a command room using 4G technology. Lieutenant Mohammed Omar Al Muhairi, director of the drone project, said the aerial devices were equipped with long-life batteries so they would be able to stay in the sky as long as possible.

Drones for Good competition

In 2026, Dubai held a drones for Good competition, where tech and drone enthusiasts descended upon Dubai Internet City to compete for an international prize pool of Dhs4.6 million, and a smaller prize pool of Dhs1 million for national entrants. Impressive stuff.

Some entries included search and rescue assistance, underwater investigation such as surveying and oil spill tracking and helping in emergency situations.

World Drone Prix

The World Drone Prix was held in Dubai in March 2016 and it was essential a race for drones. Teams flew in from all around the world to compete for an incredible prize of Dhs 3.7 million. It was also the first time a complete drone racing track has ever been custom-built for a drone racing event.

A drone race through a mall

In 2020, pro-drone pilots, Ryan Copeland and Vladimir Ivanov, were given exclusive access to Nakheel Mall for a race and one-off video, which shows off everything that the outlet has to offer. The mall opened in 2019. Watch below…

Personal use

The UAE had a ban on personal drones since January 2022 however since January of this yeat the UAE ban on the personal use of drones has been lifted, subject to strict conditions.

The Ministry of Interior (MOI) and the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and the General Civil Aviation Authority announced in November 2024 that the ban on flying drones in the UAE – which has been in place since January 2022 – would be gradually lifted.

Police social distancing during Covid

Dubai, and the neighbouring emirate, Sharjah, has also been known to use drones in a productive way during Covid 19. Sharjah’s emergency crisis and disaster team joined forces with the Air Wing Department of the General Directorate of Security Support at the Ministry of Interior, and the Sharjah Police force, to launch a Covid-19 awareness campaign, using drones to enforce social distancing and deliver public safety messages.

Sharjah police using drones

 

The neighbouring emirates use drones effectively too…

Seed planting

The Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative was announced in February 2021 (in the company of the UK’s Prince William), has now reached the incredible milestone of planting more than one million seeds with the help of (and may we take this opportunity to say beautiful, really, that chrome bodywork *chef’s kiss*) drones.

drone planting seeds in Abu Dhabi

The drones are getting wiser too. Their part in the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative has benefitted from a continual feedback loop of human experiential, and machine, learning. That has been channeled into more effective seed dispersal mechanism, more detailed 3D mapping, greater flight time efficiency and as a result, more seedlings making the grade.

view from drone over abu dhabi planting seeds