Dubai Police Selects Dutch Drone Platform AirHub
Dubai Police has selected the Dutch drone platform AirHub as the central software solution for its Drone as First Responder (DFR) program. The collaboration was announced during the World Police Summit 2025 in Dubai. This decision marks a significant step forward in the integration of drones into public safety operations in the Gulf region. Interest in AirHub is also growing rapidly on a global scale.
One Platform for Mission Planning and Live Video Streams
With the implementation of AirHub’s Drone Operations Center, Dubai Police now has access to a complete system for planning, managing, and monitoring drone operations. The platform consolidates all tasks, including live video streaming, AI-powered object detection, flight logging, and maintenance tracking. Around 700 drone pilots in Dubai will soon be using the system. In addition to DJI drones, platforms from Autel, Skydio, and Airobotics will also be integrated via AirHub.
The police force operates multiple ground stations, DJI Docks, and fixed drone installations spread across the city. This allows them to respond to emergency calls within an average of 1 minute and 25 seconds. All operations are coordinated from a dedicated drone command center with 25 workstations, where each operator can control a drone independently and instantly relay live footage to ground teams.
Global Growth in the Public Safety Sector
According to Thomas Brinkman, co-founder of AirHub, Dubai Police is far from the only organization adopting their solution. “We’re seeing a surge in interest from public safety agencies worldwide. In addition to Dubai Police, the Portuguese fire brigade, Belgian police, Malaysian police, and Singapore Police have also approached us.”
Brinkman explains that this growth is driven by a shift in focus. “Where the spotlight was once mainly on the drones themselves, there’s now a growing understanding that good software is the key. Especially as organizations operate a mix of drone types, the need for a unified platform becomes essential. Without it, operations quickly descend into chaos.”
AirHub also sees increasing demand for its software within defense organizations. “That’s why we’re currently working on adapting our platform to support military drone systems as well,” says Brinkman.
Inspired by the Aviation Industry
Over the past year, Dubai Police tested various platforms before ultimately selecting AirHub. According to Captain Muhammad Omar Al Muhairi of the Unmanned Aerial Systems Centre (UASC), AirHub stood out for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive functionality.
Dubai’s ambition is clear: drone fleet management should eventually run as smoothly as operations at an airline like Emirates. In aviation, everything is known in detail—who is flying, with which aircraft, and to where. Dubai aims to apply that same level of predictability and operational excellence to its drone deployments.
New Features Under Development
AirHub is now working with Dubai Police on the second phase of the project. This includes the development of an advanced Safety Dashboard featuring incident analysis, trend reporting, near-miss heatmaps, and black point scoring for drone operators. A dispatch function is also being added, allowing other departments within Dubai Police to summon drone pilots directly through the platform.
Response time—the most critical KPI of the DFR program—has already dropped below 60 seconds in many cases. With the continued development of AirHub’s platform, Dubai Police aims to further enhance its readiness and efficiency.
