The drones are ready. S’pore isn’t. What’s holding back nationwide delivery by air?

Grab’s pilot is just the first step in a long flight

Just two days ago, Grab and ST Engineering announced the launch of a small-scale drone delivery pilot for food orders, serving the Tanjong Rhu area.

It’s a big leap for Singapore, but in all honesty, it’s not something new. Around the world, drone deliveries have already moved beyond the experimental stage.

Companies like Alphabet’s Wing in the United States, Zipline in Rwanda, and JD.com in China have been operating commercial drone logistics for years, handling everything from food and e-commerce packages to life-saving medical supplies.

But in Singapore, widespread drone delivery has lagged behind. So why has the global hub for innovation and smart logistics, taken so long to join its peers? Well, the reasons extend beyond technology.

Singapore’s geographical constraints prevent wider drone adoption

Singapore is a compact, densely populated city-state with limited airspace and little separation between residential areas, commercial districts, ports, military facilities, and a major international airport.

Unlike larger countries, it has no vast rural or low-density regions where new aviation technologies can be tested at scale with minimal risk to people or infrastructure. Almost any drone flight in Singapore necessarily takes place over buildings, roads, waterways, or populated areas, significantly raising the safety stakes.

This geographic reality shapes Singapore’s regulatory posture.

Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAS) has a very cautious approach to drone regulation, focused first on safety, privacy, and orderly integration into controlled airspace—especially around busy airports, military zones, and urban developments.

Permit requirements, constrained flight zones, and rigorous airspace management are longstanding features of drone policy in Singapore.

The priority on safety means Singapore has not rushed to approve Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) commercial operations—a capability most experts agree is essential for scalable, economically viable drone delivery networks. BVLOS allows drones to travel beyond the direct sight of a human operator; without this, services remain limited to constrained corridors or very short routes.

Currently, BVLOS drone operations in Singapore are allowed on a case-by-case, permit-approved basis, not as a blanket unrestricted right for all commercial operators yet.

Other countries have varied approaches. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has developed detailed frameworks for drone operations, including proposals for expanding BVLOS permissions.

While commercial deliveries are still often limited to smaller areas or require special waivers, major operators like Alphabet’s Wing and Amazon’s Prime Airare expanding services in several states. This has been made possible in part by the United States’ vast geography and availability of lower-density airspace, where regulators can trial BVLOS operations with reduced risk.

Meanwhile, in China, the regulatory environment has been far more enabling for large-scale commercial use. The country’s high population drives an urgent need for efficient, next-generation logistics networks, prompting the government to actively promote drone delivery as part of a broader “low-altitude economy” initiative.

This strategy identifies drones as a key sector for technological innovation, urban mobility, and economic growth. Cities like Shenzhen are already piloting hundreds of drone flight routes and take-off sites, enabling substantial BVLOS operations.

Infrastructure & operational challenges

Even when regulations allow a flight, drone delivery faces a number of practical hurdles that slow widespread adoption.

Battery life and payload limits remain significant constraints. Most commercially available drones can only carry light packages over relatively short distances, which limits their efficiency compared with traditional ground vehicles for everyday logistics in dense delivery networks.

Other countries have found ways to work around these limitations, though doing so requires substantial investment in supporting infrastructure.

In the United States, companies like Amazon Prime Air and Alphabet’s Wing use specialised lightweight drones and hub-and-spoke networks, where local micro-hubs or drone ports allow drones to fly shorter routes with lighter loads, effectively extending range without changing battery technology.

On the other hand, logistics giants in China operate large fleets of drones along fixed urban corridors and are investing in drone docking infrastructureand urban launch/landing hubs to enable rapid turnaround for multiple deliveries per route.

Weather also remains another key limiting factor for drone deliveries in Singapore. Unlike countries with more temperate climates, Singapore’s consistent exposure to tropical rain, high humidity, and sudden wind gusts could frequently disrupt flights, reducing operational windows and reliability.

While its peers navigate weather challenges through a combination of hardware, operational planning, and regulatory measure, Singapore’s dense urban landscape makes such mitigation strategies more difficult. Limited open airspace and the close proximity of high-rise buildings mean that rerouting or rescheduling is often not straightforward.

Public acceptance remains a hurdle

Even if the technical and regulatory hurdles are overcome, public acceptance remains a significant challenge for drone delivery, especially when it comes to everyday use over residential areas.

Research from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) shows that while Singaporeans generally recognise the potential of drone technology, they are much less keen on drones flying over their homes and living spaces than in recreational or industrial zones.

Key concerns identified included the misuse of drones by unauthorised personnel, safety risks from falling parts, and the loss of privacy. Drones equipped with cameras and sensors can easily capture images or video of people and property from angles that ground vehicles and other technologies cannot, raising fears about surveillance without consent.

These concerns aren’t without merit: in the United States, a 2025 lawsuit accuses Sonoma County officials of using drones to photograph residents’ homes and private spaces—including hot tubs and outdoor areas—without warrants, leading to allegations of unconstitutional surveillance and serious privacy violations.

Singapore’s high-rise buildings and densely packed residential estates make such issues even more pronounced.

Unlike low-rise suburban areas, drones operating in urban Singapore can easily fly past multiple apartment windows or balconies in a single flight, potentially capturing images of residents without their knowledge or consent.

Drones could become a regular sight in Singapore

That said, Singapore still stands to benefit from drones, even if large-scale urban delivery faces challenges.

Grab’s recent pilot represents the city-state’s first step toward commercial drone deliveries, testing food orders in the Tanjong Rhu area and helping regulators, operators, and the public gain hands-on experience with BVLOS operations.

Beyond commercial use, the Singapore government is already deploying drones for a variety of public service applications. These include aerial inspections of infrastructure, monitoring of public spaces, emergency response, and environmental surveillance.

For example, drones are used by agencies such as the Singapore Civil Defence Force and PUB to inspect high-rise buildings, bridges, and reservoirs, allowing safer, faster, and more cost-efficient operations than traditional methods.

By steadily laying the groundwork, the city-state could soon see drones become a practical, everyday part of urban life.

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