noon Minutes Goes Autonomous, Offering Drone Parcel Delivery for the First Time at DriftX

DriftX visitors had their noon Minutes orders delivered by drone in less than 15 minutes
Delivery missions were powered by the Technology Innovation Institute, SteerAI, and LODD

Abu Dhabi-UAE: XX November 2025 – noon Minutes, the on-demand quick-commerce service by noon, successfully carried out multiple fully autonomous drone deliveries during DriftX—an international exhibition for smart and autonomous technologies held as part of Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week. The demonstration, which required no human control, showcased the future of last-mile logistics and marked a major step toward making autonomous drone delivery a standard in the UAE.

Visitors to the noon stand at DriftX were able to order products directly from a touchscreen and receive their deliveries by autonomous drone in under 15 minutes. Over the two-day event, noon completed more than 50 autonomous deliveries, from food to toys and personal care products, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and ongoing investment in next-generation technology that makes deliveries faster, smarter, and more sustainable.

The activation was powered by the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), which provided the autonomy system; SteerAI, which supplied the fleet management software coordinating each flight; and LODD, which provided and monitored the drone hardware.

This follows successful testing in late October, when a drone delivered a two-kilogram parcel from a noon Minutes mini-fulfillment center to another mini fulfillment centre in Bani Yas in under four minutes.

The project was conducted under the oversight of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), which is collaborating with the Advanced Technology Research Council to define airspace regulations and develop advanced airspace management systems for the UAE.

Ali Kafil-Hussain, noon’s Chief Business Officer, said, “We’re working hard to completely rethink delivery, making it faster and better for the planet. With the support of TII, SteerAI, and LODD, we’re bringing this vision to life. Our aim is: to set a new standard for delivery, ensuring everyone gets their order quickly and reliably, whether they live in the city center or in a remote area.”

“TII’s AI-driven autonomy stack integrates advanced perception, decision-making, communication, localization, and navigation to enable unmanned vehicles to operate quickly, precisely, and safely—changing the way we define mobility,” said Dr. Najwa Aaraj, the CEO of the Technology Innovation Institute.

“Autonomous technology requires careful oversight and management to deliver impact,” said Michael Sonderby, the Acting CEO of SteerAI. “CoreConnect, our fleet management system, enables real-time mission planning, deployment, and tracking of any vehicle or drone, ensuring fast, safe delivery. This milestone shows how integrated autonomous systems can drive real, scalable results.”

“We are reimagining last-mile delivery to be faster and more sustainable for every customer,” Rashid Al Manai LODD CEO commented. “This partnership sets a new standard for sustainable, reliable delivery in the UAE. AI-powered coordination and autonomous systems will redefine how we move goods across cities using our autonomous cargo aircraft.”

Following this successful activation, noon and its partners are now working to move autonomous last-mile delivery from demonstration to industry standard. The next step is to enable customers to choose drone delivery directly within the noon app, complete with real-time tracking and full visibility as their parcels travel from noon’s warehouses to their doorsteps within the delivery standard of 15 minutes or less.

This technology will also expand delivery access to areas that are difficult to reach through traditional methods—such as islands, farms, and new residential zones—helping noon Minutes deliver faster and more reliably to communities across the UAE.