Drone postal and goods delivery programmes are underway in 17 countries around the world while 13 countries are pioneering medical/pharmaceutical drone transport services. Altogether, 27 nations of the world are trialling, planning to test or have established drone delivery operations underway.
These are the first results of a survey into the drone delivery market carried out by www.unmannedairspace.info and www.urbanairmobilitynews.com at the start of April 2019.
While the countries of sub-Saharan Africa have become pioneering nations in the development of beyond visual-line-of sight (BVLOS) medical deliveries by drone, Switzerland, Finland, Iceland, China, Australia, Singapore and the USA are leading the way in developing more commercial drone delivery operations.
These pioneers will soon be caught and overtaken by a likely second wave of adopters which include Germany, Dubai and Canada – especially Canada, where Drone Delivery Canada has developed a C$2.5 million-a-year business supplying one rural community with goods by drone and is now planning to expand this business to 200 more remote communities over the next few years.
The table below highlights the major delivery-by-drone programmes. While many of these are trials the number of established commercial businesses is growing, to include Project Wing deliveries in Australia (and Finland, shortly), Drone Delivery Canada supply routes to Moose Creek First Nation and Aha deliveries to inhabitants of Reykjavik. Zipline has established medical delivery operations in Rwanda and by the start of April 2019 had made over 12,300 flights.
While it is still too early to make accurate generalisations about the public’s view of these operations it appears that while drone delivery services in Iceland have generally been welcomed (https://www.unmannedairspace.info/utm-industry-leader-interview/flight-drone-least-risky-part-process-maron-kristofersson-aha/) many residents in suburban Canberra (https://www.urbanairmobilitynews.com/express-delivery/residents-reportedly-unhappy-with-project-wing-canberra-drone-delivery-trials/) appear less happy with the concept.
Postal and goods deliveries
| Country | Operator/project leader | Type of operation | For more information |
| Australia | Project Wing | October 2017, first trials of goods deliveries by drone to rural Australian customers. Operations later extended to suburban Canberra. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/alphabet-project-x-delivers-food-pharmaceuticals-australia/ |
| Canada | Drone Delivery Canada | August 2018, Transport Canada approves testing of X1400 cargo delivery drone. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/regulator-approves-drone-delivery-canada-trial-flights-urban-delivery-system/ |
| China | Ele.me | May 2018, Ele.me starts food delivery by drone in Shanghai. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/ele-starts-food-delivery-drone-shanghai/ |
| China | JD.com | 2015 – rural drone deliveries start. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/latest-news-and-information/rakuten-and-jd-link-to-provide-unmanned-air-and-ground-delivery-services-in-japan/ |
| China | SF Express | March 2018 – SF Express secured China’s first provisional drone operating licence to begin deliveries of food within the country’s pilot zones approved by the CAAC.
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https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/chinas-sf-express-given-licence-start-drone-based-transport-network/ |
| Dubai | Costa Coffee | September 2017 – First trials of a coffee drone delivery system | https://www.arabianbusiness.com/industries/technology/379426-costa-coffee-tests-drone-delivery-service-in-dubai |
| Estonia | SESAR GOF programme | Parcels deliveries between Helsinki and Tallin planned as part of the SESAR network of demonstrator programmes. | https://www.urbanairmobilitynews.com/express-delivery/imminent-gulf-of-finland-sesar-project-to-trial-parcel-deliveries-by-drone/ |
| Finland | SESAR GOF programme | Parcels deliveries between Helsinki and Tallin planned as part of the SESAR network of demonstrator programmes. | https://www.urbanairmobilitynews.com/express-delivery/imminent-gulf-of-finland-sesar-project-to-trial-parcel-deliveries-by-drone/ |
| Finland | Skyports and partners | March 2019 – K-Maret deliveries to customers in Vantaa | https://www.urbanairmobilitynews.com/express-delivery/drone-delivery-trials-start-in-finland-with-skyports-and-partners/ |
| France | DPD | In January 2018 trials of drone deliveries were announced for launch between Saint-Maximin-La-Sainte-Baume and Pourrières. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/special-report-delivery-drone-six-drone-delivery-programmes-started-europe/ |
| Germany | Emqopter | February 2019 – Trials began delivering pizza and industrial parts by drones Wurzburg (Germany)-based drone-technology company Emqopter.
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https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/germanys-emqopter-delivering-pizza-industrial-parts-deliveries-drones/ |
| Iceland | Aha and Flytrex | Commercial drone delivery flights began in Reykjavik from 2018, by operator Aha and Flytrex. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/utm-industry-leader-interview/flight-drone-least-risky-part-process-maron-kristofersson-aha/ |
| Ireland | An Post and SkyTango | In July 2018 – An Post starts trials of off-shore drone delivery flights.
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https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/irelands-post-autonomous-drone-mail-delivery-flights-start/ |
| Indonesia | JD.Com | Drone delivery trials began with JD.com. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/chinese-retailer-jd-com-starts-first-drone-delivery-flights-indonesia/ |
| Japan | Rakuten | January 2019 – Drone delivery packages in rural Japan. | (https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncat).egorized/rakuten-start-drone-package-deliveries-rural-japan-april-news-report). |
| Singapore | Airbus Skyways | February 2018 – Airbus Skyways Singapore parcel delivery drone makes first flight.
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https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/airbus-skyways-singapore-parcel-delivery-drone-makes-first-flight/ |
| Singapore | Airbus and Wilhelmsen | March 2019 – the two companies start shore-to-ship drone deliveries | https://www.urbanairmobilitynews.com/express-delivery/airbus-wilmhelmsen-start-shore-to-ship-drone-deliveries-in-singapore/ |
| South Korea | Korea Post | Remote mail deliveries to start in 2021. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/korea-post-develops-utm-system-will-start-remote-mail-drone-deliveries-2021/ |
| Switzerland | Mercedes Zurich Matternet and siroop | September 2018 –Mercedes Zurich drone delivery programme starts.
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https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/mercedes-zurich-drone-delivery-programme-reaches-100-flights/ |
| UK | Vodafone | Strat of 4G mobile phone delivery trials in Scottish islands. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/vodafone-makes-uks-first-4g-mobile-network-drone-delivery/ |
| USA | Flirtey | March 2019 – BVLOS drone delivery flight trials start in Reno. | https://www.urbanairmobilitynews.com/express-delivery/flirtey-to-conduct-bvlos-drone-delivery-flights-in-reno/ |
| USA | Project Wing | August 2018 – in Virginia, Project Wing starts BVLOS urban area drone delivery trials,
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ttps://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/project-wing-starts-bvlos-urban-area-drone-delivery-trials/ |
| USA | Flytrex | October 2018 – drone deliveries to King’s Walk Golf Course in Grand Forks, North Dakota | https://www.flytrex.com/projects/north-dakota/ |
| USA | FAA Integration Pilot Program (IPP) project. | Herndon, VA – the programme will facilitate package delivery in rural and urban settings. | https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/integration_pilot_program/lead_participants/ |
| USA | FAA Integration Pilot Program (IPP) project. | Loveland, OH – Workhorse Group Inc’s HorseFly truck-launched Autonomous Drone Package Delivery System is now making package deliveries to homes in the Cincinnati area | https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/integration_pilot_program/lead_participants/ |
| USA | FAA Integration Pilot Program (IPP) project. | for Holly Springs, North Carolina – goods deliveries to resident backyards | https://content.dji.com/drones-for-good-drone-delivery/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=D4G-delivery |
| USA | FAA Integration Pilot Program (IPP) project. | Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, Memphis, TN: inspection of FedEx aircraft and package delivery. | https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/integration_pilot_program/lead_participants/ |
Medical deliveries
| Country | Operator/project leader | Type of operation | For more information |
| Belgium | Partners are Skeyes, SABCA, Unifly, NSX and Helicus. | October 2018 – Medrona research initiative will deliver medical supplies by drones around Antwerp.
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https://www.unmannedairspace.info/urban-air-mobility/helicus-aero-initiative-will-deliver-medical-supplies-drones-around-antwerp/ and https://www.sesarju.eu/projects/safir |
| Belgium | Ghent University i-Know, Skeyes, Unifly, Euka, TomorrowLab, Drone Think Do, European Aviation Safety Agency, BRC Belgian Resuscitation Council, Ghent Fire Zone Central HQ. | Ghent is examining the setting up of a prototype ambulance drone application, | https://eu-smartcities.eu/ |
| Denmark | SDU UAS Centre/Healthdrone | January 2019 – Blood samples and medical equipment will soon be flown by drones between Odense, Svendborg and Ærø. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/denmark-trial-inter-hospital-drone-deliveries/ and https://sundhedsdroner.dk/index.php?page=the-project |
| Ethiopia | Ministry of Science and Technology | October 2018 – launch of a drone-based medical equipment and supply network to remote areas of the country. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/ethiopia-launches-drone-based-medical-supply-service-remote-communities/ |
| France | Toulouse – Metropole | Emergency and rapid response services (health, medical, security) are part of the city’s UAM programme. | https://eu-smartcities.eu/ |
| Ghana | Zipline | In January 2019 Zipline started work on two distribution centres. In the first half of 2019 the company will begin providing most of the country with access to all medical products, with four distribution centres spanning from the dense southern regions surrounding Ghana’s capital, Accra, to the remote and arid north of the country. | https://flyzipline.com/impact/ |
| Germany | Airbus and EIP-SCC | Niedersachsen and Nordrhein-Westfalia part of the UAM medical delivery programme
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https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/first-international-urban-air-mobility-programme-deliver-medical-services-germany-netherlands/ |
| Germany | EIP-SCC | Ingolstadt is part of the European Union’s Urban Air Mobility (UAM) initiative and has launched air taxi and organ transport pilot programmes. | https://eu-smartcities.eu/ |
| India | World Economic Forum | Janaury 2019 – will start testing the policy frameworks developed in the newly released Advanced Drone Operators Toolkit to enable state-wide drone delivery operations. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/andhra-pradesh-pioneer-advanced-drone-operators-toolkit-world-economic-forum/ |
| Malawi | UNICEF, Virginia Tech, Malawi University, Unifly | May 2018 – drones transported blood samples from the local community to the nearby medical centre. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/unifly-sets-utm-system-malawi-support-unicef-drone-operations/ |
| Netherlands | Airbus and EIP-SCC | Twente part of the UAM medical delivery programme
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https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/first-international-urban-air-mobility-programme-deliver-medical-services-germany-netherlands/ |
| Rwanda | Zipline | October 2016, Zipline and the government of Rwanda launched the world’s first national drone delivery service to make on-demand emergency blood deliveries to transfusion clinics across the country. | https://flyzipline.com/ |
| Switzerland | Swiss Post | December 2018 – Transport laboratory samples by drone on behalf of Swiss Post from University Hospital Zurich (USZ) to the Irchel campus at the University of Zurich (UZH) begin. | ttps://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/swiss-post-start-bvlos-inter-hospital-drone-delivery-flights-10-december/ |
| Switzerland | Swiss Post, Matternet | June 2018 – first trials runs of medical transport link between the Tiefenau hospital and University Hospital Insel. | https://www.post.ch/en/about-us/company/media/press-releases/2018/swiss-post-begins-transporting-laboratory-samples-for-insel-gruppe |
| Tanzania | DHL | In October 2018 parcels delivery company DHL successfully completed trials of a drone-based medicine delivery service to customers on an island in Lake Victoria. | https://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/dhl-trials-bvlos-medicine-delivery-flights-across-lake-victoria-tanzania/ |
| Tanzania | Zipline | In August 2017 the government of Tanzania announced it was launching the world’s largest drone delivery service to provide medicines to remote communities. | https://flyzipline.com/ |
| Thailand | Fling | February 2019 – Trial medical deliveries | https://fling.asia/ |
| USA | FAA Integration Pilot Program (IPP) project. | Reno, NV – time-sensitive delivery of life-saving medical equipment, such as medical defibrillators in emergency situations in both urban and rural environments. | https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/integration_pilot_program/lead_participants/ |
| USA | FAA, UPS and Matternet | North Carolina–based WakeMed’s hospital in Raleigh, delivering essential medical supplies | https://www.wired.com/story/ups-matternet-drone-delivery-north-carolina/ |
| Vanuatu | UNICEF, Swoop and Wingcopter | In October 2018 Vanuatu Government commercial contracts to trial the use of drones to bring lifesaving vaccines to children living in remote rural islands. | ttps://www.unmannedairspace.info/uncategorized/vanuatu-government-trial-drone-deliveries-medical-supplies-remote-islands/ |