Monday 18 / August / 2025
Muscat: Eng.Hamad bin Ali Al Nazwani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning for Housing, patronised the opening of the first edition of the Firnas Summit, at the St. Regis Al Mouj.
With the participation of experts from the government, private and military fields and organised by the Ibn Firnas Drone Centre, the summit comes as part of Oman’s efforts to promote the use of modern drone technologies and maximise their development benefits, while empowering start-ups to invest in promising technologies.
Organising the summit is aligned with efforts to position Oman as a regional hub for the drone industry.
The summit will become an annual platform to assess progress and showcase the latest innovations, opening broad horizons for the Omani economy in knowledge-based sectors, digital transformation, smart cities and artificial intelligence.
It is worth noting that the Ibn Firnas Drone Center is the first specialised drone centre in the Sultanate of Oman, having carried out more than 200 practical projects in Oman, supplied the local market with over 1,000 drones, and logged more than 7,000 flight hours.
The centre provides integrated solutions covering sales, maintenance, training, industrial applications and anti-drone/radar technologies, making it a comprehensive hub for drone technologies in Oman.
The summit saw the first Middle East launch of the DJI Matrice 400 (M400) drone, produced by global UAV leader DJI, for which the official and exclusive agent in Oman is Ibn Firnas Drone Center.
The event included a live demonstration of the aircraft and its capabilities in aerial surveying, 3D mapping, and its applications in urban planning, utilities, energy, telecommunications, agriculture and security.
This is the first summit of its kind in Oman to keep pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and future technologies, particularly in the drone domain, offering an annual platform for innovation, cooperation and knowledge sharing between national institutions and global companies.
The event supports Oman’s position as a regional centre for knowledge and technology, while supporting Oman Vision 2040 goals for a diversified, innovation-driven economy.
The summit featured technical working papers discussing practical drone applications in water and wastewater services, electricity, telecommunications and urban planning.
Participants included the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, Nama Group and Omantel.
Practical case studies were presented on how drones can raise service efficiency, reduce costs and accelerate delivery, helping improve quality of life and underpin smart city infrastructure.
DJI, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial drones, holding over 80% of the global market.
The company has cemented its status as a leading reference in the sector through innovative solutions that have revolutionised public safety, smart agriculture, infrastructure and media.
DJI’s presence at the summit reflects its commitment to supporting the Omani market and expanding its regional footprint through strategic partnerships.
Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Harthy, CEO of Ibn Firnas Drone Center (exclusive DJI agent in Oman), stated that the summit marks a turning point in building an integrated national drone ecosystem.
He explained that the centre’s role goes beyond equipment supply to becoming a key enabler of the sector through three main pillars, including Firnas Academy – the first academy licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority to train professional pilots and equip them with operational skills for civilian and military applications.
Ferdinand Ma, Regional Partnerships Manager for DJI (Middle East and North Africa), said, “Choosing Oman for the first Middle East launch of the Matrice 400 reflects the strong confidence we place in this promising market. Our official partnership with Ibn Firnas Centre enables us to deliver integrated solutions and underscores our commitment to supporting Oman as a regional hub for the drone industry.
"The Firnas Summit is an ideal platform to exchange ideas about the future of this sector and to showcase advanced technologies that will support economic and knowledge development.”
Ibn Firnas Drone Center is a specialist maintenance and technical support centre and the first dedicated drone maintenance hub in the Sultanate of Oman, providing comprehensive solutions to ensure continuity of operations at the highest levels of efficiency.
The Firnas Innovation Lab serves as a research and development arm focused on producing locally developed AI-powered software solutions tailored to the needs of the local and regional markets.
The summit concluded with a panel discussion bringing together the CEO of Ibn Firnas, representatives of DJI and the Civil Aviation Authority, where views were exchanged on the future of the drone industry and prospects for its regulation and deployment in support of development.
