Turkey is developing the legal and regulatory framework for dedicated air corridors for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as “drone highways”. The country’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, announced the initiative.
According to the minister, the framework was established under the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Directive (SHT-İHA), published by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM) on July 30, 2026. It will allow UAVs to conduct long-distance, beyond-visual-line-of-sight and autonomous flights within designated airspace corridors.
Uraloğlu said the plan involves creating digitally defined air routes. UAVs will be able to fly along these routes safely and under controlled conditions. He added that the system would open up new transportation opportunities independent of road traffic.
The UAV corridors, referred to as drone highways, will be established by the SHGM in coordination with relevant institutions and organisations. Their boundaries, entry and exit points, flight directions, capacity and minimum separation requirements between aircraft will be digitally defined.
This information will be published through the SHGM’s central digital platform, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Tracking and Traffic Management System (İHATTYS). UAV software will be able to read the data directly and conduct flights in accordance with the established rules. The corridors will be planned to avoid prohibited, restricted and dangerous areas, as well as airspace covered by published NOTAM notices.
According to Uraloğlu, flight routes will be generated with the support of artificial intelligence. Autonomous flight paths will be determined based on the shortest route and phase-difference principles, while flight operations will be monitored through İHATTYS.
When necessary, flight boundaries can be narrowed, routes changed, vehicles instructed to land or flights terminated. If communication is lost, UAVs will be directed to predetermined emergency landing areas without flying over residential neighbourhoods.
The minister said the new system could create significant opportunities, particularly in logistics and healthcare. Drone highways could be used for intercity cargo transportation and regular autonomous deliveries between logistics and transfer centres.
Other potential applications include transporting blood, medicines, vaccines and medical samples between hospitals, as well as supplying islands and settlements that become difficult to access during winter.
The system could also support the transfer of components between industrial zones, factories and ports. In addition, the corridors could be used for long-distance monitoring of power transmission lines, pipelines, railways and roads.
