Autonomous drones a winner for dnata

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Monday, 04 March 2024

Dubai-based dnata has completed the integration of autonomous drones at its cargo operations, delivering operational benefits for airline customers at both Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) airports. 
Key results include 20 per cent reduction in processing times on rack inventories and more than 99 per cent accuracy in shipment tracking.
Dnata first introduced drones to its cargo operations in the UAE in 2021. 

The software of Gather AI 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 are 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.

The use of drones 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’) and lifts in the warehouse.  

The drones can operate at temperatures between 0 Celsius and +50 Celsius within a closed environment, enabling the operator to also take advantage of the technology in its cool chain facilities. 

The company has plans to introduce drones at stations across its cargo network in the future.