In what comes as a significant development towards utilising drone deliveries for vaccine and other essentials, BlueDart Express Limited announced that the much-anticipated drone delivery trials for the delivery of medicines and vaccines will be held in Vikarabad, Hyderabad from September 9.
The company stated that the ‘Medicine From The Sky’ is an ambitious project of Telangana Govt and it will become the first State to start trials of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone flights for delivery of Covid-19 vaccines.
Indian drone delivery start-up firm Skye Air Mobility which is a part of the consortium for the Government of Telangana “Medicines from the sky” Project will conduct the majority of drone flights.
Skye Air has teamed up with BlueDart Express to provide drone based delivery and drone flights to conduct these trials.
“Our battle against COVID-19 continues to unfold with new challenges that need solutions in real-time. The pandemic has taught each one of us the importance of logistics and the need for a tech-led supply chain infrastructure. As an organization Blue Dart has always immersed itself with the technology of the future.”
~Balfour Manuel, Managing Director, Blue Dart,
He added, “it is this ability that has helped us to not only withstand the pandemic but operate exceptionally well. India rolled out a nationwide vaccination campaign that has administered over 70 crore Covid vaccine doses so far. While the nation is focusing on achieving 100% vaccination, the current situation calls for a much deeper penetration of vaccines, especially in the remote areas. Delivery of vaccination through drones would be a stepping stones to achieve this goal.”
Skye Air focuses on an end-to-end ecosystem for drone based logistic transportation.
“The key elements that were deterrents in the sector for a long period are now in favour of this development. The environment is optimistic, people have the right mind set, favourable government policy and aerial technological advancements, drone delivery will be a game changer very soon.”
~Swapnik Jakkampundi, Co-Founder, Skye Air Mobility
Skye Air is a licenced company who is compliant with aviation safety norms and well aware of risk mitigation measures in case of emergencies. As per the Expression on Interest, the company will have two certified remote pilots who have been specifically trained for the BVLOS trials during the project.
