Keeta Drone, a subsidiary of Chinese technology and retail company Meituan has received the UAE’s first commercial license for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone deliveries from Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA). The company launched the Keeta Drone delivery service, the first-of-its-kind in the Middle East, at Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO).
This milestone positions Keeta Drone as the first Chinese drone logistics operator to secure an overseas license, marking a significant leap in its global expansion.
Keeta Drone unveiled four operational drone delivery routes at DSO, serving key locations such as Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT-Dubai) and Dubai Digital Park. These routes will facilitate fast and efficient delivery of food, medicine, and other essential items. This marks the company’s first major international venture, leveraging its advanced autonomous drones to deliver seamless logistics solutions.
His Highness placed the first order using the Keeta Drone delivery system through the platform from RIT-Dubai, one of the landing points within DSO’s drone delivery network. The order was successfully delivered from one of the take-off points in the community.
Safe, reliable, and efficient logistics solutions tailored for urban environments
Keeta Drone’s M-Drone Gen 3, a six-rotor drone with a maximum load capacity of 2.3kg, is at the forefront of DSO’s drone delivery network. Combined with a proprietary intelligent dispatch system and automated ground infrastructure, the drones provide safe, reliable, and efficient logistics solutions tailored for urban environments.
Dr. Yinian Mao, Vice President of Meituan and President of Keeta Drone, remarked: “The UAE’s progressive policies and robust support for technological innovation have played a pivotal role in enabling our operations here. Dubai’s high demand for on-demand delivery services and the operational challenges posed by its extreme weather underscore the potential for drone delivery to enhance efficiency and reliability. We are confident that Keeta Drone’s services will redefine urban logistics, improving both customer experiences and industry resilience.”
Meituan was founded in Beijing in 2010 to champion digital innovation in retail, working with partners to deliver high-quality consumer services, with on-demand delivery as a core offering.
The company began exploring drones for seamless air-ground local deliveries in 2017 and launched its first commercial delivery service in Shenzhen, China in 2021. As of December 2024, Keeta Drone operates 53 routes in major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, having completed over 400,000 deliveries. The service spans a variety of locations—offices, residential areas, tourist spots, parks, campuses, and libraries—offering customers a selection of over 90,000 products.
The company’s drone logistics system includes autonomous aerial drones, an intelligent dispatch system, and a highly efficient operational framework, creating an urban low-altitude logistics solution adaptable to various scenarios and weather conditions.
As part of its collaboration with notable partners like Fakeeh University Hospital, Americana, and Rochester Institute of Technology, Keeta Drone is exploring expanded use cases of drone technology, including emergency services and high-priority medical deliveries.
Dr. Mohaymen Abdelghany, CEO of Fakeeh University Hospital UAE commented: “Launching drone delivery for medications has been transformative. Drones provide a reliable and timely solution for critical needs such as plasma delivery, where every second counts. We look forward to scaling this initiative across more medical applications.”
At the vanguard of eco-friendly technology
In addition to improving the service experience, the emergence of drone delivery can also help cities be more environmentally friendly. Studies have shown that drones deliver 84% less greenhouse gas emissions per package than diesel trucks and consume 94% less energy. Based on the 2-3 km delivery distance commonly seen by drones, the carbon emission gap between drones and fuel vehicles is more than 10 times.
The environmental benefits of drone delivery at scale aligns with Keeta Drone’s global sustainability goals and its mission to be at the forefront of green tech.
