Bedarf für die Paketzustellung durch Drohnen – eine Alternative für die Versorgung schwer erreichbarer Gebiete? - Standort

The supply of the North Frisian Islands and Halligen is strongly characterized by their dependency on tides, weather, and seasons. This study examines whether supplying these difficult-to-reach areas with transport drones would have the potential to fill possible supply gaps to contribute to the alignment of living conditions with those of the mainland. Qualitative interviews with stakeholders in the region indicate that the seasonality of ferries leads to supply constraints, especially for time-critical goods. Although local residents have developed adaptation strategies such as stockpiling, there are always short-term unmet needs for specialty goods. A drone concept developed using existing regional supply routes shows that the use of drones has the potential to improve the supply situation by supplementing existing shipping. However, the majority of respondents are skeptical about the use of drones. The concerns expressed are mainly related to environmental protection, sustainability, tourist appeal, and the ability of drones to operate in adverse weather conditions. Thus, it can be seen that the acceptance of new technologies by the population is a core challenge for the successful solution of supply bottlenecks by transport drones and must receive central attention in addition to the investigation of the technical and economic feasibility of such concepts.