Partnerships are increasingly critical to business success in the drone industry these days — and the more strategic and global those partnerships, the more lucrative they tend to be.

Take, for example, the recently concluded deal between Finland’s Flyby Guys and Seattle Project Management Services LLC to expand their drone operations via a joint venture, beginning with a series of new projects in Dubai, one of the world’s fastest-growing drone hubs.

The new partnership, dubbed “Flyby Guys MENA,” allows the two companies to marge their core capabilities to create synergies that can catapult the two firms into new areas of technology development as well as expansion into new regional and global drone markets

Flyby Guys is already recognized worldwide for its drone consultancy services.  Founded in 2016, the firm has specialized in remote aerial deliveries and various industrial UAV applications, including construction site surveys .  It already enjoys close relationships with a number of national governments.

But it’s Flyby Guys’s dazzling drone light shows, including one on behalf of the Government of Dubai in 2022, that have brought the firm international acclaim.  For the past two years the company has conducted light shows all over the world, garnering numerous awards and constant media exposure and allowing it to gain valuable entree into new drone markets ahead of the field.

Flyby Guys’ 2022 Dubai light show was especially well-timed.  A number of Dubai-based concerns, including Seattle Project Management Services have been looking  for “innovative partners with unique technology solutions that enable us to stay at the forefront of trends across all industry verticals,” says Saeed Al Hamli, Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Seattle LLC.   Seattle LLC has limited past experience with UAVs but brings to the joint venture its vast customer base and network of business ties throughout the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.

It’s a win-win:  An outsider firm’s cutting-technology and proven track record and a well-connected insider firm’s ready market access.

“This agreement enables us to focus on our core business, while leveraging the strength of Seattle LLC in the region, allowing us to reach more customers than ever before,” says Flyby Guys CEO Stephen Sutton about the joint venture.  “This is a crucial milestone in our global expansion strategy.”

Flyby Guys to benefit mightily from its base in Dubai which has emerged in recent years as one of the world’s leading drone hubs.  In 2021, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the nation’s Crown Prince, made the strategic decision to consolidate all of the country’s drone projects into the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), a conglomerate consisting of Dubai Future Labs, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) and Fakeeh University Hospital.

Currently, DFF has ambitious plans to integrate conventional manned and unmanned aircraft with ground transportation systems as part of a comprehensive overhaul of all public and private transport in Dubai.  DFF is also promoting the development of autonomous passenger vehicles. Several prototypes were tested last year, with more tests planned for 2023-2024.  Dubai could soon become a world leader in the production and sale of “drone taxis.”

And it’s not just Dubai that is poised for drone industry expansion.  The entire MENA drone market, with Dubai at its center, is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decade, with applications in construction and agriculture leading the way.  Demands for 3D modeling and mapping, land surveying, progress monitoring and job site surveillance will become increasingly critical, offering Flyby Guys MENA vast new opportunities to expand into the region with its own cutting-edge applications.