Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are transforming humanitarian operations by providing solutions for disaster relief, medical logistics, and aid delivery in challenging environments. This scoping review explores UAV applications in humanitarian contexts, emphasizing their advantages, limitations, and barriers to adoption. A systematic search of Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and IEEE identified 1,075 records, with 20 studies selected after screening. The analysis highlights UAVs' effectiveness in emergency response, logistics, and post-disaster monitoring. UAVs have reduced delivery times for life-saving supplies and provided real-time data for decision-making during crises. Most studies (n = 16, 80%) focus on natural disasters, with additional applications in conflict zones, forest fires, and health crises. Key benefits include flexibility, cost efficiency, and rapid response capabilities. Sustainability is a growing advantage. However, adoption faces challenges. Technological constraints, such as limited battery life and payload capacity, are compounded by organizational issues like insufficient skilled operators and coordination gaps. Regulatory barriers and ethical concerns hinder use, particularly privacy and community acceptance. This review calls for harmonized regulations, targeted investments, and stronger collaboration to enhance UAVs' role in disaster management and humanitarian logistics.
El‐Sakka et al. (Thu,) studied this question.