How this drone startup is helping firms deliver packages from the sky

The Modi 2.0 government has a vision of making India a global drone hub by 2030. And in sync with this vision, Skye Air is proactively trying to find a faster and more cost-effective solution to bridge key logistical gaps across sectors. The company is on an aggressive expansion mode, tying up with different sectors and verticals. For instance, it has partnered with Flipkart Health+, a pharma business division of e-commerce platform Flipkart Internet Pvt Ltd to deliver medicines via drone to further reduce turn-around-time and bring an exciting experience for its consumers. Speaking to Bizz Buzz exclusively, Ankit Kumar, CEO, Skye Air Mobility, explains how the new drone rules have tremendously helped startups and the youth working in this sector and they have opened up new possibilities for innovation and business

How has the application and adoption of drone delivery technology picked up in India in these initial years? Where does India stand vis-a-vis other developing and developed countries in this regard?

The last few months has been extremely favourable and has increased the growth momentum for the sector. The new drone rules have tremendously helped startups and the youth working in this sector. It has opened up new possibilities for innovation and business. It has helped leverage India's strengths in innovation, technology and engineering to make India a drone hub. The drone delivery sector is getting more exciting with every passing day.

Furthermore, this year the union government has made a serious paradigm shift for the drone industry by announcing 'Drone Shakti' in Budget 2022. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasized that the initiative will help establish Drones-As-A-Service. Various use cases and applications are being promoted to facilitate 'Drone Shakti.' The recent push by the government has given a new fire to the industry to grow faster than many other countries in the drone delivery space.

At this point, how many players are there in India in this field?

India has witnessed a 34.4 per cent surge in the number of drone or UAV startups between August 2021 (157 startups) and February 2022 (221 drone startups).

Other than healthcare, which are the other sectors or areas where drone delivery technology can be adopted effectively?

Well, UAVs started off being utilised for military reasons, are currently used by civilians. Advancements in robotics, artificial intelligence, miniaturisation, automation, thermal imaging, materials science, etc. have supported various commercial and civilian usages of drones in healthcare sectors along with sectors like power, agriculture, infrastructure, telecom, and mining, delivering supplies, surveillance, mapping, and undertaking different activities with substantial enhancements in cost and efficiency. Apart from healthcare, it is now being widely used in quick commerce (grocery), e-commerce, agri-commodity and shall find more usage around food delivery too in the coming months.

What and how has been the experience of Skye Air in the last two years or so?

The journey in the last two years has been commendable. Skye Air has reached a benchmark of 2,100 flights recently with various consignments, including supplies for turmeric, groceries, medications, and diagnostic samples. Most of these deliveries have been India's first deliveries via drones and have also set a major step forward in enabling drone deliveries to be the future for these sectors. Notably, Skye Air has been proactively tying up with different verticals for delivering agro products and healthcare supplies such as medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics sample collection using its earlier flagship products, Skye Ship One and Artemis.

Some notable collaborations which have created a buzz have been with the Telangana government's "Medicine from the Sky project.' Skye Air under different consortiums - Flipkart Med Air consortium, Blue Dart Med Express Consortium, and Dunzo Med Express Consortium, offered an all-rounded ecosystem for drone-based logistic transportation. These flights were a part of the live demonstration trials conducted in real-time with real vaccines and medicines in Vikarabad (Telangana). Skye Air Mobility also transported 100 kgs of Lakadong turmeric to hard-to-reach areas in remote parts of Shillong.

Furthermore, we have joined hands with different diagnostics chains and hospitals such as Redcliffe Labs and SRL Diagnostics to take healthcare and pathology services to remote areas of the country using drone technology.

Besides, we have been eyeing the international market and we participated in the Dubai Air Show, Drone X Trade Show & Conference in London, Air Taxi World Congress, Istanbul recently and soon will be at GITEX Dubai, Dubai Helishow as well.

Compared to physical delivery mechanism, what are the advantages of using and adopting drone delivery technology. It certainly is a faster option, but what else?

Drones are faster, more sustainable, more accessible, and more cost-effective to operate, and are capable of making multiple deliveries in a day. It not only provides time efficiency, but also cost optimization at different scale to various sectors. During the over 2,100 flights conducted by Skye Air, we have been able to impact by saving 51 per cent time compared to road transportation and 15-30 per cent cost savings. There is a whole experience shift which is attracting consumers and enabling to boost on the excitement of receiving their first drone delivered package.

How many BVLOS flights do you have at this point in time? How many flights do you propose to have one year down the road?

Skye Air has reached a benchmark of over 2,100 flights recently with various consignments, including supplies for turmeric, groceries, medications, and diagnostic samples. 12 months down the road, we are looking at achieving 1,00,000 flights as we are fast expanding.

What is the payload capacity of each of these flights? Can you have flights with higher payload capacity?

Our current capabilities including carrying a payload from 500 grams to 50 kgs and deliver to a distance of up to 100 kms aerial. Artemis, a new addition to the fleet, can carry a payload of 6 kg and deliver up to a range of 100 kms. We have aim to upscale further to carry heavier payload as well.

Any idea about by how much this drone delivery technology can bring down carbon emission?

Drones have proven to save over 60 per cent carbon emission compared to a conventional transportation. This drastically reduces carbon footprint and impacts the socio-economic side of the logistics industry. This further brings in the sustainability for the entire business.

How long can such drones fly and travel at a stretch?

A drone from Skye Air Mobility recently covered an aerial distance of 104 km in West Bengal to deliver a medicine consignment for Flipkart Health setting up a world record. This has apparently been the longest commercial BVLOS medicine delivery using an autonomous UAS. The flight took off from Sasta Sundar Baruipur Hub and landed at Healthbuddy Matangini, Mednipur, West Bengal saving over 80 per cent time compared to conventional road transportation.

Tell us something about your tie-up with Flipkart Health?

We have partnered with Flipkart Health+, a pharma business division of e-commerce platform Flipkart Internet Pvt. Ltd. to deliver medicines via drone to further reduce Turn-around-time and bring an exciting experience for its consumers.

We have conducted a series of 15-days trials from the Flipkart Health warehouse in Baruipur, West Bengal to multiple locations within Kolkata and sub-urbs. We conducted 13 flights every day, each carrying a payload of up to 5 kgs of normal and cold-chain oriented medicines to be delivered from the warehouse to healthbuddy OTC locations very widespread in the region. The maximum aerial distance covered by the flight was 16 kilometres (24 kms by road).

You must be looking at more such tie-ups in Kolkata and elsewhere?

Yes, certainly, Skye Air's vision is in sync with the government's vision of making India a global drone hub by 2030. Skye Air is proactively trying to find a faster and more cost-effective solution to bridge key logistical gaps across sectors. Also, the Indian government's willingness to create an enabling policy environment where the use of drones can become mainstream will help ensure that most of its geographic expanse can receive adequate diagnostic service. In this optimistic environment, we are on an aggressive expansion mode, tying up with different sectors and verticals.