Are Drone Deliveries Really the Future Model of the Cargo Sector?
Technology is advancing rapidly day by day. From the industrial revolution to the present day, many tasks once performed by humans have been taken over by machines. Over the past decade, these machines have increasingly evolved into smart devices. Machines that not only produce but also plan, scale, and tailor production to meet demand are becoming more prevalent in our lives.
The cargo sector, especially with the development of e-commerce, is becoming an indispensable part of our lives. Daily transaction volumes are growing exponentially every year, and the trend indicates that this growth will continue for the foreseeable future. Consequently, hub automations are becoming an integral part of operations. Tasks that were once done manually, such as sorting and loading, are now performed dozens of times faster and safer with robotic arms. Thus, middle-mile operations are experiencing significant advancements with technology.
But what about the role of technology in first-mile and last-mile processes? Here, handheld terminals enable couriers to be tracked in real-time, Cash on delivery is possible, and shipment information can be shared with customers on time. While information flow, a crucial component of this sector, has become automated, the traditional methods still prevail for package flow.
Drone delivery has long been a dream in the industry worldwide. Every year, we see videos of companies attempting drone deliveries. A package arrives via drone at a predetermined location, dropping off the package before returning. Unfortunately, these yearly displays have yet to move beyond mere PR exercises. Press releases, social media activities, exclusive stories, etc., all fail to transcend the reminder that the service is actively in development.
What prompted me to write this was a similar scene I witnessed last week. One of the world's leading companies dropped a package from a drone into a garden, and the package bounced around a few times before settling in a corner of the yard. As you can imagine, the comments below the video mocked the attempt, with many speculating about the damage to the package.
Coincidentally, during the same period, a courier company in Turkey shared visuals of a drone delivery, accompanied by an official. I genuinely believe in the competence of this team, and I am confident they will implement a more appropriate solution. The shared visuals suggest this to me. Let me explain:
As someone who has been at the forefront of the industry for years, the topic of drones has always been a significant headline for me. As a member of the executive board of a company that is a leader in technology, pioneering air cargo transportation, automating hubs a decade before competitors, I could not have behaved differently. We engaged in constant brainstorming with both domestic and foreign firms on this matter. Countless meetings were held on the subject.
Honestly, when I consider the topic comprehensively, including technology, civil aviation realities, regulations, and needs, I do not see a significant opportunity for drone delivery in the short to medium term. This is not just about developing technologically suitable drones. Due to the many factors mentioned above, it is currently a challenging option. While it may evolve as a long-term solution in countries like the US, Canada, and others with similar detached housing arrangements, it seems it will remain problematic for many countries.
However, there is a significant "but" here.
Aerial transportation of packages could indeed be a crucial solution and should be explored further. My experience over the years diverges significantly from the prevailing view on this matter. The problem and its solution, I believe, are being sought in the wrong place. The solution here is not to develop a system for last-mile delivery but to focus on delivery from hub to hub.
The part where technology should be utilized is undoubtedly in middle-mile operations, and the solution is unmanned aerial vehicles, not drones. To explain to those outside the industry, transporting an Ake or a container containing hundreds of packages between defined hubs using an unmanned aerial vehicle is the ideal solution.
Hub locations are fixed, their areas are suitable, and their numbers are limited. You have full control over these areas. Obtaining permission from civil aviation authorities to fly between two defined areas is easier. This model could be implemented tomorrow.
In fact, a decade ago, we developed a project with this approach. At the time, we believed it was a fantastic method for delivering packages to our newly opened branch in Büyükada (one of the princes’ islands in bosphorus) . This branch received a consistent volume of packages that could be carried by unmanned aerial veh. It was an excellent alternative for maritime transportation and effectively utilized technology. Our project partners were ready to implement it, and we were ready to start immediately. Unfortunately, due to other priorities and investments, I couldn't get the idea accepted by management, and we couldn't implement it. I consider this one of my significant failures in hindsight. I should have been more persistent on this matter.
In summary, for certain priority packages and documents, a model using unmanned aerial vehicles between hubs or PUDOs to hubs will be the decisive technological leap in air cargo transportation. Furthermore, persisting with a model focused on delivery to consiqnees under current conditions will not progress beyond chasing a dream that will delay and complicate matters. However, given the rapid pace of technological advancement and lifestyle changes, alternative efforts in this regard will undoubtedly yield results in the long run.