Gcc Drones Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

Gcc Drones Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The GCC Drones Market was valued at USD 0.88 billion in 2021, and it is projected to witness a CAGR of over 14% during the forecast period (2022 - 2027).

With the growing focus on travel and tourism and the presence of a huge oil and gas industrial base, GCC offers huge potential for the growth of the drone industry. With the growing demand, the construction, energy, and entertainment sectors are expected to witness increased adoption of drones in the years to come. However, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the travel and tourism sector in the region in 2020 and for some months in 2021, slightly restraining the market growth.

Nevertheless, the adoption of drones has increased at a fast pace in the region over the past few years. With the countries in the region relaxing the regulations for the use of drones, civilian end-users now have greater freedom with the usage of drones in the GCC countries, which is expected to bolster the market prospects during the forecast period.

However, the volatile nature of the relations between the countries in the region and the recent drone attacks on the oil production facilities are expected to hamper the market growth in the region.

From land surveillance at the prelude of the construction activity to visual inspection of the high-risk areas at the site during the construction, drones are being used as an important tool for on-site communication and management in the construction industry. Drones are also used to obtain an overview of potential issues and facilitate site managers in key decision-making aspects to streamline operations. As the countries in the GCC look to transform economically and socially, they have planned almost USD 1 trillion worth of investments in megaprojects. As many as 30 real estate megaprojects are underway in the six GCC countries, and these are expected to become operational in this decade. In this regard, an increasing number of construction firms and real estate developers in the GCC are adopting drone technology in their operations. Also, as the COVID-19 pandemic halted the construction activity in 2020, players in the GCC construction industry have adopted drones to cut down site time wastage and conduct activities at a more accurate and faster pace than manual labor. Also, the fact that drones help in reducing manual inspection and human contact at the construction sites, thereby safeguarding the health and safety of the workforce, is also boosting their adoption. According to Falcon Eye Drones (FEDS), one of the region’s leading providers of drone technology, an increasing number of construction firms and real estate developers in the GCC are adopting drones in the construction activities as they get their operations back on track following the impact of COVID-19. Such factors are expected to drive the market during the forecast period.

The market is expected to be dominated by the UAE due to the favorable government regulations and the rising adoption of drones in several applications. The United Arab Emirates has been witnessing an increase in drone sales in the last decade due to their increased applications in many commercial sectors, mainly in its oil and gas industry. The United Arab Emirates plans to become the market leader in using AI and applications for unmanned systems. There is growing adoption of drones for various purposes in the country, driven by government encouragement.

The country is taking initiatives to bolster the adoption of drone delivery services. In 2020, the UAE issued a new law regulating the operations of drones, which will pave the way for granting instant government permits and NOCs to public and private entities to use drones for services like flying taxis and drone delivery services. The law helps players to take a step closer to connecting the city's landmarks and buildings aerially through the 'Sky Dome' project.

The UAE's Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) is leveraging drones to map 1,100 km2 of agricultural land aerially. The initiative, once completed, will place the country among the top five countries in the world in terms of the area surveyed using drones. The country will also become the first to use this technology to map these many statistical data categories. In September 2021, the UAE used drones that fly toward the clouds and discharge electrical charges to produce rain. The cloud seeding technique is used to help increase low annual rainfall in the country. These cloud seeding efforts are part of an ongoing USD 15 million project by the United Arab Emirates to generate rainfall. Such initiatives will drive the market growth in the country during the forecast period.

SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd, Parrot Drones SAS​, Primoco UAV SE, Yuneec Holding Ltd, and FalconViz​ are some of the prominent players in the GCC drones market. The growing commercial applications of drones have led to the entry of new players in recent years. Manufacturers are introducing new drone models to support various end-user applications. Also, drone manufacturing companies are collaborating with the service providers to further increase the drone-based services in this region. In the recent past, Eniverse Technologies, Fetchr, and Skycart entered into a partnership to develop autonomous drone operations in the UAE. Such initiatives are expected to attract new investments into the drone industry, thereby propelling the market's growth. Also, the growing government support is expected to encourage new players to enter the market, which is expected to intensify the competition during the forecast period further.

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