Dubai: The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and Dubai Municipality have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration on the Dubai Horizons project focused on planning drone flight routes and landing sites, it was announced on Wednesday.
Both parties will leverage each others’ expertise in creating geospatial data for the emirate as well as their collective knowledge in the unmanned aerial vehicle sector.
The project, which will run for three years from the initiative’s launch date, will undergo a trial run at Dubai Silicon Oasis.
“The Dubai Horizons project aims to create the cooperative networks needed to provide the ideal environment for the deployment and growth of new drone technologies as well as align Dubai’s air dome system and unmanned aircraft traffic management with the emirate’s comprehensive urban plan. The project, which also supports Dubai’s future air mobility plans, will contribute to raising Dubai’s global competitiveness and achieving its ambitious goals,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, DCAA President, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group.
The MoU was signed by Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, and Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Director General of the DCAA.
Al Hajri said: “We are eager to sign strategic partnerships and agreements that broaden the scope of our cooperation and enable us to share expertise and knowledge across various fields in order to advance the growth of Dubai’s key industries and services. By enhancing the process of site planning for airports and airfields designated for drones, the new agreement will support the development of the aviation industry. Our partnership with the DCAA will strengthen Dubai’s position as a centre of innovation in the aviation industry and create an encouraging climate for investment in the sector.”
In accordance with the MoU, Dubai Municipality will provide the DCAA a direct link to an online portal that contains databases, digital data of a geospatial nature, and 3D charts in Dubai Silicon Oasis, as well as the servers and geospatial databases required to store this data and 3D charts and publish them on the appropriate systems.
