China’s food delivery giant Meituan has announced a new drone service that will deliver food, drinks, and other goods to tourists hiking on the Great Wall of China. This service is the first of its kind in Beijing and adds to the growing drone delivery industry in China, which is the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter of civilian consumer drones. The drones will fly from a nearby hotel rooftop to a watchtower on the southern extension of Badaling, a popular section of the Great Wall that lacks commercial facilities and experiences sweltering summer temperatures. The drones can carry up to 2.3 kilograms per trip and will be available for orders from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The drone delivery fee for the Great Wall service is just 4 yuan, the same as regular Meituan deliveries. Once an order is placed, a Meituan worker will pick up the items from a nearby store and bring them to the hotel rooftop for packaging. The package will then be attached to the drone, which will fly on autopilot to the watchtower where another worker will receive it. App users can then pick up their package from the worker at the watchtower. The service will also be used to carry trash to recycling stations after 4 p.m. The drones are capable of flying in moderate wind and rain, providing relief items and emergency supplies to visitors in a fraction of the time it would take to reach them on foot.
Drone delivery services have been expanding rapidly in China in recent years, with companies like JD and Meituan launching trials for unmanned aerial vehicle deliveries in rural areas and urban centers. JD’s drones have been used to carry up to 15 kilograms over a maximum distance of 20 kilometers, significantly shortening delivery times in remote areas. In addition to improving rural logistics, drones are also being used to deliver takeout orders in urban centers like Shanghai and Shenzhen. Meituan has established more than 30 drone routes in multiple cities and has completed over 300,000 orders, delivering to both residential and office buildings through predetermined routes and drop-off locations.
To navigate through dense urban spaces, the drones follow predetermined routes from launch sites to pick-up points, dropping off deliveries at designated kiosks near residential and office buildings for customer pick-up. Meituan has set up pick-up kiosks in public parks in Shanghai and Shenzhen to facilitate drone deliveries. The expansion of drone delivery services in China aligns with the government’s push to develop the “low-altitude economy,” focusing on businesses centered around manned and unmanned aerial vehicles below an altitude of 1,000 meters. This sector has been identified as a new growth engine for the Chinese economy, highlighting the potential for further innovation and development in the drone delivery industry.
