Industry Overview
Oil & gas assets are often scattered, remote and exposed to harsh environments. Traditional inspection methods—manned flights, ground crews—are expensive, time-consuming and pose safety risks. Enter drones: agile, high-resolution, and capable of servicing challenging areas with far less human exposure. This makes them a compelling choice for modern asset monitoring.

Market Outlook
According to the latest figures, the Drones for Oil Gas Market was valued at approximately USD 1.16 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach close to USD 16.75 billion by 2035, reflecting a CAGR of about 27.5%. Key drivers include operational cost reduction, workflow automation, and regulatory support for aerial systems in industrial settings.

Key Player Roles
In this ecosystem, firms like Delair deliver combined hardware and platform solutions for industrial clients. Airobotics brings automation expertise in airborne data collection. Terra Drone is collaborating with operators on complex offshore inspections, such as floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) systems. These companies help translate drone potential into workable, industrial-scale operations in oil & gas.

Segmentation Growth
Market segmentation shows:

  • Type: Multi-rotor systems dominate due to market readiness and flexibility; other types (fixed-wing, hybrid, nano) address specific use cases. 

  • Application: Surveying & mapping remains a high-growth area given exploration demands; inspection of pipelines, tanks and platforms is also essential; security/ emergency use is gaining attention. 

  • Region: North America is the leading region, supported by active offshore operations and significant investment. Growth potential is strong in Asia-Pacific and other emerging geographies. 

Closing Thoughts
Drones are shifting the paradigm of asset monitoring in oil & gas: from reactive to proactive, from manual to autonomous, from intermittent to continuous. Operators that adopt these systems will gain greater visibility, control and safety over their infrastructure. The future of oil & gas monitoring will increasingly be aerial.