Drone Delivery

Even as international drone delivery company Wing continued to expand its activities around the globe over the summer, it appears to have paused aerial services in the Canberra capital of its booming Australian market amid an update of its operating model.

Leading global instant logistics company Zipline has passed another major milestone in its operational evolution – and in the future scaling of the entire drone delivery sector – by obtaining authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights.

UK drone delivery and advanced air mobility infrastructure startup Skyports has launched trials of on-demand UAV equipment provisioning flights to North Sea oil rigs in partnership with its Norwegian energy client, Equinor.  

As an additional reminder that you can’t make everyone happy – especially in this divided, frequently infuriated world – a UK medical drone delivery project has come under considerable fire for its efforts to seek prolonged flight restrictions across an expanse of airspace that locals say would effectively shut down local air traffic.

Drone delivery startup Flytrex has announced an upgrade of the method it uses to upload food orders destined for customer households, as part of an effort to reduce processing and transport time and permit the company to continue expanding its aerial business activity.

Aerial transport and services company Drone Delivery Canada has won work with a Canadian government defense agency for an initial series of trials of the startup’s Canary UAV, which if successful could lead to an extension of the relationship.

Wing, the drone delivery firm owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, is seeking FAA approval to expand its retail package delivery service in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. The company says it wants to establish a network of up to 25 drone nests, with each unit conducting as many as 400 deliveries per day in a six-mile radius.

Global air services company Bristow Group is looking to diversify from its historic passenger transport activities by securing preferred delivery of medium-haul Elroy Air Chaparral drones to facilitate its expansion into cargo operation.

Walmart has found a new partner to expand its drone delivery services. The retail giant is teaming up with Wing – a drone delivery firm owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet – to reach an additional 60,000 homes in Texas.

DJI has officially entered the delivery and logistics market with the launch of a new drone in China today. The just-released FlyCart 30 is the tech giant’s first-ever carrier drone and it comes with two modes of delivery: a cargo box and a winch crane system.

Google’s corporate drone delivery cousin Wing is continuing to expand its international network with the planned launch of medical services in Dublin – a somewhat unconventional yet pragmatic first step in aerial transport in a nation where local hero Manna has established itself as an early leader in food conveyance.

DJI has released the teaser for a new drone launch event scheduled to take place in China on August 16, 2023. The world’s largest consumer drone maker looks set to officially enter the delivery and logistics segment with its latest product.

Drone logistics specialist A2Z Drone Delivery has launched the second generation of its off-the-shelf RDST Longtail cargo aircraft. The upgraded drone has a more streamlined design and boasts a new propulsion system. But the most exciting upgrade comes in the form of a new rainproof delivery winch that allows the drone to fly for longer-range missions even in inclement weather.

In another indication that medical transport services may well be the largest initial activity for emerging drone delivery operators, UK company Skyports says it has successfully wrapped up a month-long trial of aerial shuttles with the nation’s EMED Group.

Aerial transport services company Drone Delivery Canada says it has successfully completed test flights of its Canary UAV in commercial operation conditions, verifying the craft’s enhancements over the firm’s earlier Sparrow vehicle.

Leading global instant logistics company Zipline is expanding its US business activity with the addition of OhioHealth to the list of clients selecting the startup’s integrated Platform 2 drone transportation network to speed deliveries to destinations at lower costs.

The UK’s Royal Mail and Skyports Drone Services have launched what is being hailed as the nation’s first permanent UAV delivery operation conducted “under existing regulatory frameworks,” with the initiation of postal distribution flights between Scotland’s Orkney Islands. 

Amazon’s own drones may not be delivering much – or often ­­– but smart mailboxes that can accept drone deliveries are now a part of the Amazon Sidewalk community network.

Canadian drone, equipment, and operating systems company Draganfly has unveiled its new UAV payload lowering device – a unit it’s calling “revolutionary” while marketed under the more pragmatic name, Precision Delivery System.

Vertiport operations and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) solutions provider Kookiejar says it is joining forces with design company STILFOLD to make drone landing platforms using “industrial origami” manufacturing technology.

Swiss drone delivery company RigiTech has further expanded its zone of international activity with the launch of trial beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights of medical supplies in Uruguay.