Netherlands Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in netherlands, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Aerospace Industry
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Overview

The Dutch aerospace sector is innovative and dynamic, with a profound international orientation and highly productive indigenous research and development capabilities. Airport innovation, aircraft maintenance, and infrastructure are key strengths. The Netherlands boasts an established, robust civil aviation sector, with Schiphol Airport, the fourth largest airport in Europe by total passenger traffic handling 66.83 million passengers, at its center.

Primary Dutch aerospace industry imports revolve around aircraft parts and components, and advanced technologies, including aircraft engines (and parts), avionics, composite materials, landing gear, aircraft interiors. Exports consist mainly of aircraft parts and components, maintenance, repair and overhaul services (MRO), and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) (particularly inspection drones, security drones and delivery drones).

The use of UASs, also known as drones or remotely piloted aircrafts (RPAs), is increasing in the Netherlands. The Netherlands has a favorable regulatory environment for the use of UAS and supports innovation and development in the fields of drone technology. In 2024, revenue in the Dutch drone market amounted to $ $28.12 million. Projected revenue for 2025 is $30.7 million. Currently, the Netherlands is leading the way in drone technology, with a strong focus on developing advanced autonomous capabilities.

In parallel with advancements in drone systems, the Netherlands is also emerging as a global frontrunner in sustainable aviation. It is one of three locations worldwide with large-scale production capacity for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). With ambitious national targets—14%% SAF by 2030 and 100%% by 2050—the Netherlands is creating a robust ecosystem for SAF innovation and deployment. This commitment to green aviation complements the country’s leadership in aerospace technologies and offers additional investment opportunities across SAF production, logistics, and research and development.

Leading Sub-sectors

The civil drone sector offers strong potential in the Netherlands, particularly across agriculture, energy, infrastructure, security, delivery, and mobility. The number of drones in these areas is expected to more than quadruple between 2019 and 2050. Unique data-gathering capabilities—via cameras and sensors—enable drones to perform inspection, monitoring, and analytics tasks efficiently.

In addition, sustainability is becoming a major driver across the aerospace industry. The Netherlands is fostering synergies between drone technologies and greener aviation solutions, including Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). As SAF production scales up, drone and aerospace companies are exploring hybrid propulsion systems and environmentally friendly logistics applications, further enhancing the sector’s innovation potential.

Opportunities

One of the most promising opportunities in the Dutch drone market is inspection-as-a-service, particularly in the offshore wind energy sector. As the Netherlands continues to invest heavily in offshore wind power, drone-based inspection and maintenance services are expected to grow significantly. By 2050, a large portion of the Dutch North Sea is projected to be covered by wind turbines, and after 2030, offshore wind is expected to become one of the country’s primary sources of sustainably generated electricity. This creates a strong demand for autonomous drone systems capable of efficiently inspecting large-scale infrastructure in remote and challenging environments.

Drones are also being integrated into port operations. At the Port of Rotterdam, drones are used to monitor logistics and inspect industrial facilities that are otherwise difficult to access. The port is developing the infrastructure for UAV traffic in ‘very low-level airspace’, enhancing the efficiency and safety of logistical processes. Industrial use of drones in the port is increasing steadily, particularly in the processing industry, where they help identify maintenance issues while minimizing human risk. In the future, drones will also play a role in fighting drug-related crime or detecting air pollution.

In agriculture, the number of UAS is projected to rise to 1,500 by 2035, enabling precision farming techniques like crop spraying, field monitoring, and yield analysis. Despite expected market saturation after that point due to long drone lifespans and coverage capacity, growth remains strong in the medium term.

The (cyber)security sector offers another high-potential opportunity. As drones become more prevalent, the need for secure communications and data protection grows. Drones themselves can also enhance site security by patrolling perimeters and capturing real-time aerial footage. The Netherlands—especially The Hague, home to the Hague Security Delta (HSD) and institutions like Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre and the National Cyber Security Center—is ideally positioned for growth in this niche.

Synergies are also developing between the Dutch drone community at Unmanned Valley, and the Dutch space community. Unmanned Valley is a large-scale publicly and privately funded UAS test location. In the field of R&D, it partners with Technical University of Delft and the independent research institute TNO. The European Space Agency’s technical center ESTEC and the Netherlands Space Campus are located close to Unmanned Valley, and they collaborate with the local drone test center. UAVs and satellites can work well together because drones can be equipped with metrological data sensors and supplement the data gathered by weather satellites.

The growing emphasis on sustainability in aviation also opens doors for integrated solutions combining SAF-powered support aircraft with UAS systems. The country’s advanced SAF ecosystem, including facilities from Shell, Neste, and SkyNRG, creates potential synergies with drone developers, particularly in logistics, environmental monitoring, and hybrid aviation applications.

Finally, the delivery and mobility drone market, although in its early stages, is expected to grow rapidly after 2035, with the greatest long-term economic impact in the aerospace sector. As enabling technologies mature, this area could align closely with the Netherlands’ broader sustainable transport goals.

Resources

Market Analysis: Global Aerospace Resource Guide 2020-2021 
SEO Amsterdam Economics, The Impact of Drones on Society

Trade Shows

Amsterdam Drone Week
NIDV Exhibition Defense and Security (NEDs)

Associations

The Netherlands Aerospace Group (NAG)
The Netherlands Defense Manufacturers Association (NIDV)

Contact

Philip Hammerstein, Sr. Commercial Specialist                                    
U.S. Commercial Service – The Netherlands 
Philip.Hammerstein@trade.gov +31 70 310 2416

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