Airspace World 2026 focuses on the drone container standard

A simple sounding innovation changed the global economy and world trade forever : The standardized 20-foot shipping container created a common language between ships, trucks, railways and allowed goods to travel efficiently, often from producer until end customer. It enabled unprecedented interoperability across transport networks, dramatically reduced handling & logistics costs and became one of the key drivers of globalization.

Today, autonomous logistics is going for a remarkably similar (r)evolution.

Drone technology is advancing at an extraordinary pace. Yet despite rapid innovation, the industry is hindered by fragmentation.  Groups of drone manufacturers, operators, infrastructure providers, payload developers, and digital platforms often function as separate ecosystems, limiting scalability, interoperability and widespread adoption.

At Airspace World 2026 in Lisbon, the standard that overcomes this challenge is presented at the Europe for Aviation stand.  It has gained international adoption over the last three years.  At the heart of this vision is DORAI (Drone Operator Requirements Aero Initiative), an international industry initiative founded in 2022 by drone operators to establish common standards for autonomous logistics. The idea is simple and therefore powerful : Just as the 20-foot shipping container enable global trade, the DORAI standard 375 mm drone container will help ignite the future of integrated autonomous supply chains and multiply the number of rapid deployable use cases.

👉 VIDEO LINK from Airspace World (LinkedIn)

This approach allows drones of many kinds (autonomous aerial, ground and surface vehicles), logistics infrastructure and digital platforms to operate as part of integrated supply chains.  Very different drones can be (un)loaded automatically with the same swappable 375 mm containers: VTOL fixed wing, VTOL tilt wing, octocopters, quadcopter, single rotors, …

The benefits are significant :

• Lower transport and handling costs
• Higher utilisation of (drone) assets and (ground) infrastructure
• Faster automation and deployment of autonomous operations
• Seamless handovers between different autonomous transport systems
• Easier integration into existing supply chains and logistics networks

Most importantly, this vision is already a growing reality.  Today, nine international drone manufacturers have integrated the DORAI standard container into their platforms. Solutions for medical logistics, AED delivery and industrial applications have already been developed, while the first fully automated DORAI-compliant ground handling systems are already operational, including deployments within hospital infrastructure.

The future of autonomous logistics depends on more than hardware. It also requires common digital standards for data exchange, identification, telemetry, operational procedures and system interoperability.

As autonomous transportation continues to evolve, the question is no longer whether the technology works.  The industry now has the tools to unlock global scale.

We invite you to read the latest 2025 statement (www.dorai.network) and you will discover why interoperability will become the defining factor of the future low-altitude economy.

👉 VIDEO LINK from Airspace World (LinkedIn)