PURPOSES : In this study, drone highway route alternatives were evaluated using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique to investigate any difficulties or improvements while designing drone highway routes.
METHODS : Based on the literature review and AHP analysis, 39 road and airport experts were surveyed to evaluate two alternate drone highway routes that connect the Seoul train station and Jamsil park near Gangnam business district.
RESULTS : The AHP analysis results revealed that the environmental aspect was the most critical factor in designing a drone highway route, followed by social and technological factors. Among the investigated factors, noise and life-environment showed the highest geometric mean value of 0.21. This mean should be considered when developing plans and policies for drone highway design.
CONCLUSIONS : Environmental and social agreement is more crucial than the technological and economic aspects when designing drone highway routes. Laws and policies should be updated and followed to support the drone highway system, which is vital in logistics.