Drones & air taxis
Commercial, consumer and defence drones, drone delivery, and electric air taxis (eVTOL) nearing first passenger service
The market covers uncrewed aircraft (consumer camera drones, commercial inspection, mapping and agriculture drones, delivery drones and small military drones) and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft built to carry passengers or cargo as air taxis. Drone Industry Insights puts the global commercial drone market at US$40.6 billion in 2025, and most of that is services rather than hardware. Delivery operators such as Zipline and Wing have each logged more than one million commercial deliveries. eVTOL makers such as Joby, Archer, BETA and EHang are still mostly pre-revenue and are aiming to start their first passenger operations in 2026. Growth comes from new beyond-visual-line-of-sight rules (Canada, from 2025-11-04) and from defence demand, while US restrictions on Chinese drones are shifting the supply base.
new market · sits inside NAICS 336411, 334511, 481219, 492110 · researched 2026-11-14
global revenue (commercial drone market, estimate) · world40.6
↗USD billions · 2025
global revenue (commercial drone services segment) · world29.4
↗USD billions · 2025
global revenue (commercial drone hardware segment) · world6.7
↗USD billions · 2025
global revenue (commercial drone software segment) · world1.7
↗USD billions · 2025
G
Growth
Dated and sourced; forecasts are labelled as forecasts.
- 2025-04Forecast: Drone Industry Insights projects the global commercial drone market will reach US$57.8 billion by 2030, up from an estimated US$40.6 billion in 2025. ↗
- 2025-04Drone flight operations rose 25% in 2024 to 19.5 million flights worldwide, led by Asia (Drone Industry Insights). ↗
- 2026-06As of January 2026, Zipline's drones had completed more than two million commercial deliveries and flown more than 120 million miles. As of June 2026, Wing had completed more than one million commercial deliveries, mainly through its partnership with Walmart. ↗
- 2026-11Company target, not a fact: in its Q3 2026 10-Q, Joby says it is 'targeting carrying our first passengers in 2026'. Archer says it is delivering more Midnight aircraft in preparation for initial passenger operations in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. ↗
S
Segments
Each linked segment has its own page with its companies.
- Camera drones 2 — Camera drones for hobby, photo and video; DJI held over 90% of the world consumer drone market as of June 2024 (Wikipedia)
- Commercial & enterprise drones 4 — Inspection, mapping, surveying, agriculture and public-safety flights; services are the largest revenue pool
- Drone delivery 2 — BVLOS parcel, retail and medical delivery networks (Zipline, Wing)
- Military & security drones 5 — Small reconnaissance drones, loitering munitions and counter-drone systems for militaries and police
- eVTOL air taxis 8 — Electric vertical take-off passenger aircraft, piloted or autonomous, for short urban and regional trips
- Electric cargo & regional aircraft 2 — Electric conventional take-off and VTOL aircraft for cargo, medical and short regional routes (e.g., BETA CX300/ALIA)
C
Leading companies in drones & air taxis
17 companies, with the scale each source states.
| Company | Where | What they do | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| DJI ↗ | Shenzhen, China since 2006 | World's largest maker of consumer and enterprise camera drones; the FCC blocked new DJI models from the US in Dec 2025 | revenue: 80 CNY billions (US$11.5 billion) (2025) ↗ |
| AeroVironment AVAV ↗ | Arlington, United States since 1971 | Small and medium military drones (Raven, Puma, Switchblade loitering munition); added BlueHalo in 2025 | revenue: 1,976.845 USD millions (FY ended 2026-04-30, company-wide) (2026) ↗ |
| Skydio ↗ | San Mateo, United States since 2014 | Largest US drone maker; autonomous drones for military, police and industrial users; left the consumer market in Aug 2023 | revenue: 100 USD millions (2023) ↗ |
| Parrot PARRO.PA ↗ | Paris, France since 1994 | European drone maker (ANAFI line); has made only drones since 2017 | employees: 542 employees (2022) ↗ |
| Red Cat Holdings RCAT ↗ | South Salt Lake, United States | US maker of small military and government reconnaissance drones | revenue: 40.729 USD millions (FY ended 2025-12-31) (2025) ↗ |
| Zipline ↗ | South San Francisco, United States since 2014 | Autonomous drone delivery (P1 rural, P2 urban/suburban) in the US, Rwanda, Ghana, Japan, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire and Kenya | commercial deliveries: 2 million deliveries (cumulative, 'more than') (2026) ↗ |
| Wing ↗ | Mountain View, United States since 2012 | Drone delivery and UTM (traffic management) systems; runs in the US, Australia, Finland and Ireland, mostly with Walmart in the US | commercial deliveries: 1 million deliveries (cumulative, 'more than') (2026) ↗ |
| Draganfly DPRO ↗ | Saskatoon, Canada | Canadian drone maker and drone-services company; listed on Nasdaq and files 40-F reports with the SEC | revenue: 7.731 CAD millions (FY 2025, IFRS) (2025) ↗ |
| Volatus Aerospace ↗ | Canada | Canadian UAV and counter-UAS maker, drone operator, pilot academy and MRO; supplies tactical ISR drones to defence customers | — |
| Joby Aviation JOBY ↗ | Santa Cruz, United States since 2009 | Piloted eVTOL air taxi (S4) in FAA type certification; air taxi agreement with Dubai RTA; aims for first passengers in 2026 | revenue: 53.425 USD millions (FY 2025; R&D expense US$581.1M) (2025) ↗ |
| Archer Aviation ACHR ↗ | San Jose, United States since 2018 | Midnight eVTOL air taxi, starting with Abu Dhabi/UAE; in Aug 2026 agreed to buy Boeing's Wisk, Insitu and SkyGrid | revenue: 0.3 USD millions (FY 2025; R&D expense US$493.9M) (2025) ↗ |
| BETA Technologies BETA ↗ | South Burlington, United States since 2017 | Electric aircraft (CX300 conventional take-off, ALIA A250 eVTOL), motors and chargers; CX300 got FAA special airworthiness certification in Nov 2024 | revenue: 35.616 USD millions (FY 2025) (2025) ↗ |
| Wisk Aero ↗ | Mountain View, United States since 2019 | Self-flying (autonomous) passenger eVTOL air taxi | — |
| EHang EH ↗ | Guangzhou, China since 2014 | Autonomous passenger eVTOL EH216-S; CAAC extended approval to unpiloted flights in March 2025 | revenue: 417.981 CNY millions (US$59.77M, FY 2025) (2025) ↗ |
| Eve Air Mobility EVEX ↗ | São José dos Campos, BR since 2020 | Embraer-backed eVTOL air taxi and urban air traffic management software | R&D expense: 194.695 USD millions (FY 2025) (2025) ↗ |
| Vertical Aerospace EVTL ↗ | Bristol, United Kingdom since 2016 | UK piloted eVTOL air taxi developer | — |
| Volocopter ↗ | Bruchsal, Germany since 2011 | VoloCity multicopter air taxi and VoloDrone cargo drone; filed for insolvency 2024-12-30 | — |
CA
In Canada
- 2025-11Transport Canada's expanded drone rules took effect 2025-11-04. They allow lower-risk BVLOS, EVLOS and sheltered operations, and medium drones (over 25 kg up to 150 kg) flying within visual line of sight, without a Special Flight Operations Certificate. They also add new pilot and operator (RPOC) certification. ↗
- 2026-07Ottawa launched the Defence Drone Initiative on 2026-07-23. It is led by DND and the Defence Investment Agency to speed Canadian uncrewed systems into production for the CAF and Coast Guard, starting with low-cost tactical ISR drones, counter-drone interceptors and other systems. Its Request for Supply Arrangement on CanadaBuys closed 2026-08-14. ↗
- 2026-03Draganfly (Saskatoon, Nasdaq: DPRO) reported FY 2025 revenue of C$7.73 million under IFRS, up from C$6.56 million in 2024. ↗
R
What would have to be true
- eVTOL makers are still pre-revenue or close to it (Joby spent US$581M and Archer US$494M on R&D in 2025). Their business cases depend on FAA/CAAC type certification and getting passenger service started on time.
- Volocopter's 2024 insolvency shows that air-taxi developers can fail on funding before they reach certification.
- US policy against Chinese drones (DJI on the Commerce Entity List since 2020; FCC ban on new DJI/Autel models in Dec 2025) could raise costs for operators that rely on DJI hardware, and could also open the market to North American makers.
- Delivery and BVLOS growth depend on rules allowing routine beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight and on public acceptance of noise, privacy and safety.
Quick answers
- How big is the drones & air taxis market?
- global revenue (commercial drone market, estimate) (world): 40.6 USD billions, 2025 — Drone Industry Insights; global revenue (commercial drone services segment) (world): 29.4 USD billions, 2025 — Drone Industry Insights.
- Is the drones & air taxis market growing?
- Forecast: Drone Industry Insights projects the global commercial drone market will reach US$57.8 billion by 2030, up from an estimated US$40.6 billion in 2025.
- Who are the leading drones & air taxis companies?
- DJI (China), AeroVironment (United States), Skydio (United States), Parrot (France), Red Cat Holdings (United States), Zipline (United States), Wing (United States), Draganfly (Canada), and 9 more in the table above.
- Which drones & air taxis companies are publicly traded?
- AeroVironment (AVAV), Parrot (PARRO.PA), Red Cat Holdings (RCAT), Draganfly (DPRO), Joby Aviation (JOBY), Archer Aviation (ACHR), BETA Technologies (BETA), EHang (EH), Eve Air Mobility (EVEX), Vertical Aerospace (EVTL).
- Which Canadian companies are in drones & air taxis?
- Draganfly, Saskatoon; Volatus Aerospace.
- What is happening with drones & air taxis in Canada?
- Transport Canada's expanded drone rules took effect 2025-11-04. They allow lower-risk BVLOS, EVLOS and sheltered operations, and medium drones (over 25 kg up to 150 kg) flying within visual line of sight, without a Special Flight Operations Certificate. They also add new pilot and operator (RPOC) certification.
- What are the main segments of the drones & air taxis market?
- Consumer & prosumer camera drones, Commercial / enterprise drones & services, Drone delivery, Defence & security UAS, eVTOL air taxis, Electric cargo / regional aircraft.
- What are the risks in the drones & air taxis market?
- eVTOL makers are still pre-revenue or close to it (Joby spent US$581M and Archer US$494M on R&D in 2025). Their business cases depend on FAA/CAAC type certification and getting passenger service started on time.
Sources (32)
- Drone market growth in 2025 and beyond — Drone Industry Insights
- Drone Market Size and Growth 2025-2030 — Drone Industry Insights
- 2025 Summary of changes to Canada's drone regulations — Transport Canada
- Government of Canada launches Defence Drone Initiative — National Defence
- Joby Aviation 10-Q, quarter ended 2026-09-30 — SEC EDGAR
- Archer Aviation 10-Q, quarter ended 2026-09-30 — SEC EDGAR
- AeroVironment XBRL company facts — SEC
- Red Cat Holdings XBRL company facts — SEC
- Draganfly XBRL company facts — SEC
- Joby Aviation XBRL company facts — SEC
- Archer Aviation XBRL company facts — SEC
- BETA Technologies XBRL company facts — SEC
- EHang XBRL company facts — SEC
- Eve Holding XBRL company facts — SEC
- Draganfly EDGAR submissions (address, listing) — SEC
- Red Cat EDGAR submissions (address, listing) — SEC
- Archer to Shape Physical AI Future of Aerospace and Defense with Acquisition of Boeing's Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid — Wisk Aero
- About Us — Volatus Aerospace
- DJI — Wikipedia
- Skydio — Wikipedia
- Parrot SA — Wikipedia
- Zipline (drone delivery) — Wikipedia
- Wing (company) — Wikipedia
- AeroVironment — Wikipedia
- Beta Technologies — Wikipedia
- EHang — Wikipedia
- Joby Aviation — Wikipedia
- Archer Aviation — Wikipedia
- Eve Air Mobility — Wikipedia
- Vertical Aerospace — Wikipedia
- Volocopter — Wikipedia
- Wisk Aero — Wikipedia