Local cargo companies in Turkey to use drones for delivery in 2018

A new era is set to begin in the Turkish cargo sector as of 2018, as Turkish delivery services are planning to use drones in places with difficult transportation and heavy traffic. It was also stated that transportation costs could be reduced to 50 percent depending on the route, according to a report in Turkish daily Dünya.

The Post and Telegraph Organization (PTT) has taken action to produce domestic drones, while one of Turkey's biggest cargo companies MNG Cargo and Aras Cargo have put this technology on the agenda in their R&D centers.

The Turkish postal giant PTT, which has been transformed into a logistics company with large investments in recent years and is very focused on technology, wants to be a pioneer in the use of drones in Turkey. PTT Chairman Kenan Bozgeyik said they will launch the drone transport in 2018.

Moreover, drones are also expected to have an effect on e-commerce. Bozgeyik stated that the drones to be used will be indigenous, announcing that the engineers in PTT will start working on this issue.

MNG, which has established a provincial research and development center in the sector with the approval of the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology, has put the drone usage on the agenda for the upcoming period. Aras Cargo General Manager Hikmet Bulduk, who explained new investment plans and growth targets, said they included the drone investments in their 2018 plans, especially for use in areas where transportation is difficult. Cargo companies will use the drones particularly in mountainous regions such as the Black Sea area, which have difficult transportation links, and cities such as Istanbul where traffic is very heavy.

Speaking to the Dünya newspaper, a PTT official stated that the ministry is in the process of regulations with regards to the use of drones, informing the newspaper that the use of the drones will depend on certain rules and that permission will be obtained from the relevant authority before using the route.

"The drones will not be used everywhere. There is no destination that the PTT cannot reach in Turkey. But sometimes transportation can be impossible with a vehicle. In this case, our staff reaches the destination on foot," the PTT official said.

"In these situations, we will now use drones. We will also be able to reach a point in Istanbul in 20 minutes, which is currently accessible in two hours because of traffic." He also noted that application launch dates will change from region to region, stressing that increasing speed and efficiency will also accelerate the e-commerce sector.

Drone technology is expected to create new business opportunities both around the world and in Turkey. It is emphasized that domestic production in this area will provide important opportunities, especially for sub-industry companies. Ergin Özgür Akpınar, one of the executives of the renowned consulting company PageExecutive, stated that drone usage will become widespread due to smart technology-based developments such as better battery life, and that new business opportunities will arise due to the increase in drone usage.