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Improving accessibility and decarbonization of the transport sector using drones involves technology and infrastructure-related considerations that must meet public expectations. This paper, set primarily in Europe, aims to identify (a) technology and infrastructural planning considerations, and (b) implications of dynamics between planning considerations and public acceptance. The identified planning considerations include type of application, choice of drone, flight altitudes, airspace planning, restricted zones, vertiport locations, digital infrastructure, charging infrastructure, time of operations, type of delivery, and transportation model, in areas of both high and low population densities. This paper primarily employs a literature review and validates the results using expert interviews. Key trade-offs for regional planners and transport companies are discussed and synthesized on different drone system levels. Eleven critical and pragmatic implications for planning and decision-making are highlighted for implementing drone services into existing transport. These implications also indicate critical research gaps needed to plan for this emerging technology aligned with sustainability goals.
Raghunatha et al. (Fri,) studied this question.