Open Access Article

Title: Evaluation of factors affecting UAV selection in urban air logistics

Authors: Yasin Mercan; Volkan Yavaş; Dilek Can

Addresses: Social Sciences Higher Vocational School, Kırklareli University, Merkez/Kırklareli, Turkey ' Ege University Aviation HVS, İzmir, Turkey ' Dalaman Civil Aviation High School, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Muğla, Turkey

Abstract: Urban air mobility continues to grow in popularity and is recognised as one of the most important innovations in the aviation industry. This study aimed to identify the expectations of shippers and stakeholders regarding the use of UAVs in logistics operations. Based on academic research and industry discussions, 12 key criteria for aircraft selection were identified and categorised into technical and operational groups. Technical criteria included safety, battery/energy performance, speed, range, autonomy level, and vertical takeoff/landing capability. The operational criteria include price, security, camera system, cargo, platform tracking, and hazardous material compatibility. FUCOM, a multi-criteria decision-making method, was applied to evaluate the success of aircraft selection for air logistics stakeholders. The findings suggest that technical criteria are slightly more important than operational criteria. When all criteria were considered, safety, security, price, range, and battery/energy performance were ranked as the top five most important factors for aircraft selection in logistics operations.

Keywords: urban air mobility; UAM; logistics; MCDM; FUCOM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTL.2025.148844

International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics, 2025 Vol.21 No.3, pp.317 - 344

Received: 16 Apr 2024
Accepted: 07 Jan 2025
Published online: 29 Sep 2025 *

 

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