DJI Drones Remove Over 10,000 kg of Waste from Everest, Set Altitude and Research Milestones

Kathmandu. Chinese drone manufacturer DJI has completed three major drone missions on Mount Everest during the 2026 spring climbing season, using advanced unmanned aircraft to remove waste, deliver climbing supplies, map hazardous terrain, and conduct high-altitude scientific research.

The missions, carried out in collaboration with Nepali drone service provider Airlift, mark one of the most significant uses of drone technology on the world's highest mountain and represent a major step toward safer, cleaner, and more technology-driven mountaineering.

Over 10,000 kgs of cargo and waste transported

DJI's heavy-lift delivery drone, FlyCart 100, transported more than 10,000 kilograms of materials between Everest Base Camp and Camp 1 during the recent climbing season. According to Airlift CEO Raj Bikram Maharjan, the figures cover a one-month period between April and May.

Of the total cargo, 7,215 kg consisted of mountaineering supplies, including oxygen cylinders, ropes, and ladders, delivered from Base Camp to Camp 1, while 2,858 kg of waste accumulated at Camp 1 was transported back to Base Camp.

DJI said the operation set a new record for drone-assisted logistics in the Everest region.

Reducing risks for Sherpas

Garbage accumulation has long been a major environmental challenge on Mount Everest. Decades of expeditions have left behind discarded oxygen cylinders, tents, food packaging, and plastic waste, earning Everest the reputation of being the world's highest garbage dump.

According to National Geographic, each climber generates an average of 8 kilograms of waste during an Everest expedition, much of which is left on the mountain. With more than 600 climbers, along with their Sherpa guides and support teams, attempting the summit every season, waste management has become increasingly difficult.

DJI said the FlyCart 100 offers a safer alternative to the dangerous manual transport traditionally carried out by Sherpas.

Normally, Sherpas spend six to eight hours carrying supplies from Base Camp to Camp 1 through the Khumbu Icefall, widely regarded as the most dangerous section of the Everest route because of constantly shifting ice blocks and deep crevasses.

The FlyCart 100 completed the same journey in just eight minutes, significantly reducing exposure to life-threatening conditions.

Although the drone can carry up to 100 kilograms at sea level, it successfully transported payloads of up to 47 kilograms at altitudes exceeding 6,300 meters, while operating in temperatures ranging from -15°C to 5°C and under harsh weather conditions.

DJI said it aims to remove around 10,000 kilograms of waste from Everest's high camps during each future climbing season.

The initiative also supports the Nepal Mountaineering Association's Zero Waste Initiative 2027. The company said the drone will also help the Nepali mountaineering community transport approximately 5,000 oxygen cylinders between Base Camp and Camp 1 during each climbing season.

Commenting on the achievement, DJI spokesperson Christina Zhang said the company remains committed to making Everest safer and cleaner for Sherpas and climbers worldwide. 

Khumbu Icefall mapped in high detail

Beyond cargo delivery, DJI's Matrice 4E drone mapped more than three square kilometers of the Khumbu Icefall in just 3.5 hours, producing centimeter-level mapping data.

The high-resolution maps are expected to help expedition teams identify changing routes and environmental hazards in real time, improving climbing safety.

eVTOL drone reaches 8,861 meters

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DJI also completed a separate scientific mission on the northern side of Mount Everest in Tibet, where its first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) drone, the DJI EV-50, reached an altitude of 8,861 meters.

The hybrid aircraft combines the vertical takeoff capability of a multirotor drone with the speed and long-range flight characteristics of a fixed-wing aircraft.

Taking off from Everest Base Camp at an elevation of 5,200 meters, the EV-50 carried scientific instruments designed to measure atmospheric ozone. Despite strong winds and the extremely thin air at high altitude, the drone climbed above the height of Mount Everest, at 8,861 meters to collect atmospheric data.

The mission was conducted in partnership with the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research (STEP) Office and a research team led by Professor Zhu Tong of Peking University.

DJI noted that Zhu first discovered in 2001 that glacier winds in the Everest region transport unusually high concentrations of ozone to ground level.

Scientists first measured ozone at different Everest altitudes using a helicopter in 2022. According to DJI, this year's EV-50 mission enabled researchers to collect more detailed three-dimensional data on ozone transport and its effects in the upper atmosphere above Everest.

Building on previous Everest missions

DJI said the 2026 operations significantly expanded its previous Everest drone missions by combining logistics, environmental conservation, terrain mapping, and scientific research into a single large-scale initiative. 

As climate change accelerates glacier melt on Everest, long-buried waste is increasingly resurfacing, adding to existing environmental challenges. While crowd management and decades of accumulated garbage remain significant issues, DJI said advanced drone technology is beginning to transform cleanup operations by allowing dangerous transport tasks that once took Sherpas an entire day to be completed safely within minutes, marking a new chapter in sustainable and technology-enabled mountaineering.

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