Unmanned Traffic Management Global Market Report 2024

The unmanned traffic management market size has grown exponentially in recent years. It will grow from $1.32 billion in 2023 to $1.6 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.5%. The observed growth during the historical period can be attributed to the rise in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) adoption, the expansion of commercial drone applications, the growth of e-commerce, the increase in drone delivery services, and the emergence of drone swarming applications.

The unmanned traffic management market size is expected to see exponential growth in the next few years. It will grow to $3.49 billion in 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.6%. The anticipated growth in the forecast period can be attributed to the increase in Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, a rise in emergency response applications, a surge in urban air mobility initiatives, the implementation of Remote ID technologies, and the expansion of Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) for agricultural applications. Major trends expected in the forecast period include technological innovations in communication systems, the integration of AI and machine learning in UTM, advances in drone technology, collaborations with telecom and tech companies, and robotics advancements in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

The growing prevalence of drone activities is anticipated to drive the expansion of the unmanned traffic management market in the future. Drones, which are either remotely piloted aircraft or autonomous systems capable of flying without human onboard control, contribute to increased air traffic. The rising number of drone activities necessitates effective management systems, such as unmanned traffic management, to regulate and organize the airspace. For instance, in March 2023, Flytrex, an Israeli drone delivery startup, reported a remarkable increase in drone deliveries, surpassing 21,350, marking a seven-fold rise compared to 2021. This surge highlights a 765% growth in the drone service user base from 2021 to 2022, underlining the role of increased drone activity in propelling the unmanned traffic management market.

The escalation of geopolitical tensions is expected to fuel the growth of the unmanned traffic management market. Geopolitical tensions, encompassing political conflicts and disputes among nations or regions, often related to territory, resources, or ideology, create an environment where advanced unmanned traffic management systems become crucial. These systems, equipped with drone detection and tracking capabilities, offer valuable insights into military deployments, troop movements, and potential threats. For instance, as of March 2022, geopolitical tensions, as reported by The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), saw a 12% increase in political violence events targeting civilians from 2020 to 2021, reaching 37,185 events. Similarly, civilian fatalities rose by 8%, with reported fatalities reaching 38,658 in 2021. The surge in geopolitical tensions is thus identified as a driving factor for the growth of the unmanned traffic management market.

Major companies in the unmanned traffic management market are innovating by introducing products such as cloud-based aerial traffic management systems to maintain a competitive edge. Cloud-based aerial traffic management systems utilize cloud computing technology to centrally manage and coordinate the airspace activities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones. For instance, Skye Air Mobility Private Limited, an Indian autonomous logistics solutions company, introduced Skye UTM in February 2023. This innovative unmanned air traffic management system, operating on a cloud-based platform, integrates unmanned air traffic with manned aviation airspace. Offering situational awareness, autonomous navigation, and risk assessment, Skye UTM enhances safety and communication across airspace for drone and aerial mobility operators. The platform facilitates digital communication with drones and imports data from the government's Digital Sky platform, aiding operators in planning flights in Indian airspace.

Major players in the unmanned traffic management market are forming strategic partnerships to foster innovation and strengthen their market positions. Collaborations in the unmanned traffic management market facilitate the development of comprehensive solutions and the integration of advanced technologies to address challenges related to airspace management effectively. In July 2022, AIRmarket Inc., a Canadian regulatory technology solutions company, partnered with INVOLI, a Swiss air traffic detection systems company. This collaboration aims to integrate drones safely into airspace by enhancing surveillance for cooperative air traffic, especially for drone operations. As part of the collaboration, AIRmarket became the first UTM provider to benefit from INVOLI. Analytics services, providing valuable tools such as Surveillance Coverage Map, Traffic Density Map, and MLAT simulation for quantitative residual air risk assessment in drone operations.

In December 2021, DroneUP LLC, a US-based drone flight services company, completed the acquisition of AirMap Inc., an airspace services platform for unmanned aircraft. This strategic acquisition expanded DroneUP's portfolio by incorporating AirMap's unmanned traffic management platform, enhancing their capabilities to provide drone delivery services to clients such as Walmart.

Major companies operating in the unmanned traffic management market report are Droniq GmbH, Raytheon Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Honeywell International Inc., DJI Technology Co. Ltd., Thales Group, L3 Harris Technologies, Harris Corporation, Leonardo S.P.A., Collins Aerospace, Saab AB, Indra Sistemas S.A., Cubic Corporation, Frequentis AG, Skye Air Limited, DroneUP LLC, Nova Systems LLC, General Electric Company, Airbus SE, Intelligent Automation (IAI), Dedrone, Terra Drone Corporation, PrecisionHawk Inc., Altitude Angle Limited, Unifly NV, Aeronyde Corporation, AirMap Inc., Airware.

North America was the largest region in the unmanned traffic management market in 2023. The regions covered in the unmanned traffic management market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the unmanned traffic management market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Italy, Spain, Canada.

The primary types of unmanned traffic management are persistent and non-persistent unmanned traffic management. Persistent unmanned traffic management refers to a system that provides continuous traffic coverage without interruptions, ensuring effective traffic management. The components of these systems include hardware, software, and services, and they find applications in various sectors such as aviation, homeland security, agriculture, logistics and transportation, and others.

The unmanned traffic management market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides unmanned traffic management market statistics, including unmanned traffic management industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with unmanned traffic management market share, detailed unmanned traffic management market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the unmanned traffic management industry. This unmanned traffic management market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenarios of the industry.

The unmanned traffic management market consists of revenues earned by entities by providing traffic synchronization, traffic monitoring and surveillance, communication, and information sharing, traffic flow management, conflict resolution and collision avoidance, regulatory compliance, and authorization. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The unmanned traffic management market also includes the sales of communication equipment, navigation equipment, ground control stations, and drones. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is, the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).


The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.