A lot happened in the drone industry in 2024. There was no shortage of proposed legislation to do with banning Chinese-made drones. Speaking of Chinese-made drones, DJI launched some seriously cool products this year, some of which clearly target newbies. The drones for good side of things was especially delightful given the number of drone light shows that not only took off this year, but reached huge audiences by way of national TV spots, multiple Guinness World Records broken and even the introduction of pyro drones.
I’ve had my eyes on the drone industry every day of 2024 — and, well, every day since I started this website in 2013.
But in case you haven’t been following it as closely (or just forgot about the stuff that happened way back in January), here are the top 10 drone stories of 2024:
The 10 top drone stories of 2024
- 1. Drone deliveries mark milestones (including flights over people)
- 2. Basically everyone saw a drone show
- 3. Police departments expand drone use
- 4. Trump elected President could mark changes for the drone industry
- 5. Politicians seek to ban DJI drones
- 6. DJI launches impressive (and low-cost) lineup of new drones
- 7. DJI Air 3S gets caught up in customs debacle
- 8. HoverAir tries its hand at competing with DJI
- 9. Fun for drone racers
- 10. B4UFly switches up providers
1. Drone deliveries mark milestones (including flights over people)
2024 was a fun year for me personally, as I got some drone deliveries of my own.
But elsewhere in the world, the drone delivery industry has been doing some big things. One of the biggest steps is happening over in London. Wing (the drone delivery arm affiliated with Google) partnered with healthcare logistics company Apian and the NHS Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust to bring on-demand medical drone delivery service to the heart of London. We’ve seen medical drone deliveries going on for a long time now, but this one stands out because it’s happening in one of Europe’s busiest and most complex airspaces (and the flights are between tall buildings and over people).
Of course, I can’t leave out my personal drone deliveries. First, I met up with the Wing team in Texas to test their partnership with Walmart. Just a couple months later, I headed to Silicon Valley to test out Matternet drone deliveries.
That said, it hasn’t bee all good news in the drone industry. DroneUp ended its drone delivery partnership with Walmart in three states: Arizona, Florida and Utah, in turning forcing a 17% staff reduction.
2. Basically everyone saw a drone show
2024 was the year that a lot of people saw their first drone show (and if it wasn’t their first, it was likely bigger, brighter and better than the last one they saw).
That’s thanks to all the developments in the drone light show industry. The race to rack up Guinness World Records was fierce, as multiple drone light show companies have sought to break (and re-break) world records). Among the standouts included a BotLab Dynamics show that broke five Guinness World Records in less than 13 minutes. Over at Disneyland Paris, Dronisos broke a different record with a massive Mickey in the sky. And in the vein of theme parks, there was a record-breaking show featuring a massive hummingbird as part of IAAPA 2024.
Drone shows really did take off in theme parks, including the free-to-watch “Disney Dreams That Soar” in Orlando at Disney Springs, the resort’s free outdoor shopping and entertainment district.
And even if you didn’t see a drone show in-person, you likely saw one on TV. American drone light show company Sky Elements placed third on America’s Got Talent Season 19 — the first time any drone company had made it anywhere near that far on the televised talent show.
Then to buck the people who said drones would replace fireworks, drone light show company UVify created pyro drones, which are actually used to carry fireworks which launch from mid-air.
3. Police departments expand drone use
Many police departments either started up or expanded their use of drones, including the San Francisco Police Department and the Chula Vista Police Department. Another notable instance was the New York City Police Department (NYPD), which was granted FAA approval to fly drones beyond-line-of-sight (BVLOS) across much of NYC without needing either a visual observer or even other type of specialized equipment to detect other aircraft.
4. Trump elected President could mark changes for the drone industry
You definitely didn’t miss that Donald Trump was elected for his second term. But you might have missed are the implications for the drone industry. His second term could mean both pros and cons for drone companies and pilots.
Talks of bans on Chinese drones could make drones more expensive, but it could also pave the way for American drone companies to grow without competition from Chinese companies like DJI that typically undercut them on prices.
Trump has promised faster, more streamlined government, which could be a good thing in increasing approval speed — but it could also turn the industry into chaos if teams are cut and oversight is lost.
I dug deeper into what the Trump presidency could mean for drones.
5. Politicians seek to ban DJI drones
Speaking of talks to ban DJI drones, multiple times (primarily Republican) politicians have sought to ban them through various pieces of proposed legislation.
One of the most notable is the Countering CCP Drones Act, which could ban DJI drones by adding DJI to a list of companies deemed threats to national security.
Another proposal, the Drones First Responders Act, would create a 30% tariff on drones made in China. And the American Security Drone Act of 2023 would prohibit federal agencies from purchasing drones made by Chinese government-linked countries.
Related read: If Congress bans DJI drones, here’s what that could do to hobby drone pilots
On that last note, the U.S. Department of the Interior released a scathing report this year documenting the negative effects of banning DJI drones. That report references the period between January 2020 and October 2022, when the department prohibited both procurement and non-emergency use of drones from adversary nations (such as Chinese-made DJI drones). I detailed the report here, but the tl;dr is that the DOI cut back on buying new drones because the only ones they could legally buy were too expensive. That left them with outdated and otherwise shrinking fleets.
By the way, if you’re not sure whether now is a bad or a good time to buy a DJI drone, check out my guide to how shoppers should navigate proposed DJI drone bans.
Related read: What’s it like being a Chinese drone company right now?
6. DJI launches impressive (and low-cost) lineup of new drones
DJI went on a tear this year releasing all sorts of new products. It continues to expand its line of cameras that stay on the ground, including the influencer-focused Osmo line.
But since this is a drone website, I’m focused on the new drone releases. The DJI Air 3S stood out not necessarily because it has all sorts of new features (though it has those too) but really because of its price point at $1,099. That’s the same price as the DJI Air 3 upon its launch — but this one is a clear upgrade — signaling that DJI is seeking to democratize high-end drones with low prices.
Speaking of democratizing drones, there’s another one that really fits the bill — the DJI Neo. This drone is made for newbies, again a sign that DJI just wants to be a household name. As a hand-launch drone, it’s ridiculously easy to fly, and it thrives as an indoor drone, too.
7. DJI Air 3S gets caught up in customs debacle
Speaking of the DJI Air 3S, it got caught up in some controversy with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Evidently, CBP had been scrutinizing DJI’s compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which is a law passed in 2021 designed to prevent products made with forced labor from entering the U.S. market.
8. HoverAir tries its hand at competing with DJI
Though the market for camera drones pretty much revolves around DJI, other drone companies are still out there trying. The most notable contender this year has been ZeroZero Robotics, which this year launched the HoverAir X1 PRO and HOVERAir X1 PROMAX, two hand-launch drones that somewhat resemble the DJI Neo in design but that promise smarter follow-me features and a better camera.
9. Fun for drone racers
One of the more charming trends in the drone industry through 2024 is the launch of products targeted at racers or people seeking a simulator experience. Nothing embodies that more than the Hotel Polaris, which opened on Nov. 14, 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. That location near the U.S. Air Force Academy is hardly a coincidence. It’s an aviation-themed hotel with all sorts of unique touches including three flight simulators available for guest use.
10. B4UFly switches up providers
The FAA B4UFly program ended its relationship with provider Aloft on Feb. 1, 2024. In lieu, it brought on four other companies to provide B4UFly services.
For pilots, that means that — rather than going to the FAA website — they’ll go to one of the apps of those four providers to find out where they can legally fly drones.
What other news stories stood out to you in 2024? Share them in the comments below. And then, stay tuned for The Drone Girl, as — after looking back onto the past year — we’ll next look forward to 2025.
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