| Summary: | The goal of this article is to examine the advantages and disadvantages of the application of drones in last-mile delivery systems from a sustainability point of view regarding CO<sub>2</sub> emissions and energy consumption. As commercial drones are developing rapidly, the application of such tools in the field of last-mile delivery and transportation can offer many opportunities to increase service flexibility, reduce delivery time and decrease CO<sub>2</sub> emissions and energy consumption. In this article, a discrete event simulation is applied to examine how the assistance of drones in parcel delivery services can influence the sustainability aspects of such services regarding CO<sub>2</sub> emissions and energy consumption in an urban environment. Based on factory parameters, a vehicle-based delivery scenario is compared to a drone-assisted scenario under ideal conditions. According to the results, within the simulation parameters with the assistance of drones, a decrease in CO<sub>2</sub> emissions and energy consumption is possible in last-mile delivery services, but more environmental, technological and financial limitations should also be addressed and incorporated to determine whether such a development is worthwhile from a last-mile delivery company’s point of view.
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