Meituan Launches Drone Delivery Service at the Great Wall

Chinese food delivery giant Meituan has announced the launch of its new drone service, marking a significant development in the country’s burgeoning drone delivery sector. This service will operate at the Great Wall of China, specifically at the Badaling section, which is a popular tourist destination near Beijing. The initiative aims to deliver food, drinks, and essential goods, including medical supplies, to visitors in a more efficient manner, significantly reducing delivery times. The drone route extends from a hotel rooftop to a watchtower, allowing for deliveries that would typically take 50 minutes on foot to be completed in just five minutes. Yan Yan, the public affairs director of Meituan’s drone business, emphasized the service's potential to provide timely assistance, particularly in delivering heat relief items and emergency supplies to tourists. The process involves a Meituan worker collecting orders from a nearby store, packaging them at the hotel rooftop, and then facilitating the handoff to customers at the watchtower. Meituan's drone delivery service builds on previous initiatives in China, where e-commerce giant JD launched the first UAV delivery trials in rural areas in 2016. Since then, drone deliveries have expanded to urban environments, with Meituan completing its first delivery in Shenzhen in 2021. The company now operates over 30 drone routes across various cities, including Shanghai, and has successfully handled more than 300,000 orders. The Chinese government has recognized the "low-altitude economy" as a new growth engine, highlighting the increasing importance of drone technology in logistics and urban delivery systems. As Meituan continues to innovate, the integration of drones into everyday services is expected to reshape the landscape of consumer delivery in China.