Matternet, the California-based drone delivery company, took a significant step forward in its global expansion this week with the announcement that it has received approval from Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to operate its M2 drone delivery system. This milestone marks the first time a drone operator has been approved to provide delivery services in the Kingdom. With that comes one more example of how the Middle East has embraced drone technology for consumer-facing applications.

“Riyadh will have autonomous drone delivery as a new layer of city infrastructure, enabling ultra-fast, cost-efficient, zero-emissions delivery for its businesses and residents,” Matternet CEO Andreas Raptopoulos said in a prepared statement.

Here’s what to know about Matternet as it expands into the Middle East.

Matternet’s global trajectory

Matternet first entered the Middle East in 2021 through a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Health. Under that deal, it delivered medical supplies across the city.

A year later, Matternet launched the world’s longest urban drone delivery route in Zurich, Switzerland. More recently, the company entered the U.S. home delivery market, operating in Silicon Valley.

This new Saudi approval reflects the growing recognition of Matternet’s FAA Type Certification — granted in 2022 — as a gold standard for airworthiness. Now acknowledged by GACA it’s expected to pave the way for adoption across additional Middle Eastern nations.

For its part, Matternet has marked a series of firsts. Matternet was the first company to gain authorization for commercial Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone delivery operations over cities in Switzerland. It also claims it was the first to launch routine revenue-generating operations in the U.S. Plus, it’s the first to achieve standard Type Certification and Production Certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Other “firsts” including launching the world’s first humanitarian drone delivery missions in 2014 and the first B2B healthcare operations in Europe in 2017. Additionally, it brought the first drone delivery operations in Silicon Valley in 2024.

Check out me getting my first Zipline drone delivery in the video below:

Riyadh as a hub for drone innovation

Why is Matternet expanding to Saudi Arabia? In many ways, growing trends in other aspects of life have created something of a need for drone delivery.

For example, Riyadh’s rapid urban development and growing population have created a pressing need for efficient delivery, where drone technology may offer an innovative answer to the city’s infrastructure challenges without adding to traffic congestion or emissions.

And for what it’s worth, Riyadh has embraced drones in other consumer-facing ways that aren’t drone delivery. For example, Riyadh hosted the Drone Racing World Cup in January 2025. The massive event ended up marking a Guinness World Record for the largest drone racing competition, with competitors representing over 50 nations. Though the Drone Racing World Cup has been going on since 2016, this was the first time the event occurred somewhere in the Middle East.

The road ahead for Matternet’s drone deliveries

Matternet is hardly the only company making waves in the delivery drone space.

Zipline, known for its success in delivering medical supplies to remote regions in Rwanda and Ghana, has also ventured into U.S. suburban deliveries. Similarly, Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has partnered with Walmart to offer rapid drone deliveries in select regions of Texas. These companies’ achievements highlight the diverse applications of drone delivery, from rural healthcare to suburban consumer goods.

And now with Matternet’s approval to operate in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East emerges as a critical region for the future of drone delivery. Riyadh’s adoption of the M2 system is not just a win for Matternet but a milestone for drones.

“This will create a greater need for delivery and lead to mounting pressure on the current infrastructure to keep up with demand,” said Matternet’s Chief Financial Officer Jason Secore. “Drone delivery will play a key role in managing these challenges in a timely and scalable manner.”

Matternet added that it has plans to expand further across the United States, Europe and the Middle East in 2025. Stay tuned to The Drone Girl to see where that goes.

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