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Abu Dhabi Hosts Middle East’s First Passenger Drone Trials

MLG and Abu Dhabi Mobility hosted an exhibition of cutting-edge technology, along with two test flights.

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2 years ago

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abu dhabi hosts middle east's first passenger drone trials
Abu Dhabi Media Office

In recent years, Abu Dhabi has become a pioneer and champion of smart and sustainable mobility, attracting industry-leading startups and experts from around the world. The first Abu Dhabi Mobility Week, held between 24th April and 1st May 2024, showcased this innovation while also hosting the Middle East’s first-ever passenger-carrying drone trials.

Multi Level Group (MLG), a pioneer of “advanced automation and digital transformation solutions”, teamed up with Abu Dhabi Mobility to present an exhibition of cutting-edge drone technology, which included two test flights. The first showcase featured a five-seater drone with a 25 km range and potential payload of up to 350 kg, while the second involved a smaller drone able to carry two passengers up to 35 km for around 20 minutes.

Mohammed Hamad Al Dhaheri, a Multi-Level Group board member, made history at the mobility expo by becoming the first person in the Middle East to board an eVTOL for a demonstration flight. Al Dhaheri explained to the press that future plans also involved manufacturing passenger drones in the UAE: “starting with drone structure and gradually moving forward until we manufacture small parts such as motors and batteries, ensuring the technology is fully developed and exported from the UAE to the world”.

Also Read: UAE Stores May Soon Accept Payments Through Your Palm

The milestone test flights represent a significant addition to Abu Dhabi’s achievements in the drone and micro-mobility sectors. The emirate’s forward-thinking strategy is rapidly making it a global hub for smart and autonomous vehicles while plans continue at pace to develop a sophisticated infrastructure for driver and pilot-less vehicles.

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LUVED Is A New Curated Preloved Marketplace For The UAE

Sellers keep 100 percent of every sale and AI can build a listing in five seconds — though the app’s smartest tools are still coming.

Published

2 days ago

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June 16, 2026

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luved is a new curated preloved marketplace for the uae

Secondhand shopping has become mainstream in the UAE, but the experience is still scattered across resale sites, social media and informal group chats. LUVED, a mobile-first marketplace that launched in Dubai this month, is betting it can pull that activity into one place — and that the thing buyers and sellers actually want is not more inventory, but trust.

The app trades in what it calls circular luxury: preloved fashion and lifestyle pieces across men’s, women’s and children’s categories, bought, sold or given away peer to peer. Its main pitch is economics, with sellers keeping 100 percent of every sale under a zero-commission, fast payout model, while buyers are promised vetted pieces at lower prices.

Where LUVED is staking its reputation is verification. Sellers pass a KYC check, and items run through a two-layer authentication system powered by Entrupy that pairs instant AI screening with human expert review for high-value pieces. Authenticity certificates travel with each item, payments sit in escrow, and a buyer-protection package the company calls The Safety Net adds a 48-hour return window and dispute resolution. Door-to-door logistics removes the in-person meetups that make most resale deals awkward.

An in-app assistant called Luvbot — offering selling insights and demand-based recommendations — is soon to be introduced to the platform. Other features include autofill and dynamic pricing that lets users build a listing in as little as five seconds from three photos, plus a swipe-based feed, story-style drops and in-app chat in English and Arabic. Finally, a gifting layer, Luved & Gifted, lets users pass items to others inside the app rather than sell them.

Also Read: Logitech’s New Folding Mouse Is Designed For Work On The Go

“After moving to Dubai, I saw how difficult it was to sell or even give things away,” says founder and CEO Shaima Sibtain. The friction is real, and so is the competition. In resale, trust is won transaction by transaction — and that is the test LUVED has set itself.

The app is live on the App Store now, with Google Play to follow. The company also plans to expand across the region, which will be the real test for a marketplace staking everything on trust.

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