By 2030, the Modi 2.0 administration wants to transform India into a major drone hub. Skye Air is actively looking for a quicker and more affordable solution to close significant logistical gaps across sectors in line with this objective. The organisation is partnering with several sectors and verticals as part of its aggressive expansion strategy.
For instance, it has teamed up with Flipkart Health+, a pharmaceutical business branch of the e-commerce platform Flipkart Internet Pvt Ltd, to supply medications via drone to speed up turnaround and offer a fun experience for its customers.
More about Skye Air
Chandra Prakash and Swapnik Jakkampudi founded Skye Air drone startup in 2019. It is taking part in several trials beyond Visual Line of Sight. In Telangana and Karnataka, it has been conducting BVLOS trials for healthcare delivery. Their current areas of specialisation include food, relief, e-commerce, and healthcare logistics. When daily air travel for people is no longer a possibility, they want to play a significant role in urban air mobility
How has Drone Delivery Technology been Adopted and Applied in India So Far?
The last several months have been favourable, accelerating the sector’s expansion. The new drone regulations have greatly benefited companies and young people working in this field. It has created new opportunities for innovation and commerce. It has assisted India’s advantages in creativity, technology, and engineering to transform the country into a drone hub.
Additionally, by declaring “Drone Shakti” in Budget 2022, the Union government achieved a significant paradigm change for the drone business this year. Nirmala Sitharaman, the minister of finance, stressed that the effort would support the development of drones-as-a-service.
How Many Players are There in This Drone Delivery Startups Field in India?
Between August 2021 (157 startups) and February 2022, the number of drone or UAV startups in India increased by 34.4%. (221 drone startups).
Tie-Up with Flipkart Health for Drone Medicine Delivery
To further shorten turnaround times and provide customers with an engaging experience, they have joined Flipkart Health+, a pharmacy business branch of the e-commerce platform Flipkart Internet Pvt. Ltd., to distribute medications via drone.
From the Flipkart Health warehouse in Baruipur, West Bengal, they performed 15-day experiments at various places throughout Kolkata and its suburbs. Every day, they flew 13 times, each carrying up to 5 kg of regular and cold-chain-oriented medications to be distributed from the warehouse to the many Healthbuddy OTC outlets across the area. The flight travelled a maximum of 16 kilometres in the air.
Deliveries of blood or plasma, vaccines, long-acting medications, diagnostic samples, and emergency medications for trauma care were the first items that Skye Air started shipping.
By transferring organs from the donor’s hospital to the recipient’s hospital, they also hope to facilitate organ transplants. To save lives, Skye Air will soon operate autonomous air ambulances to transport patients to higher-level medical institutions safely and promptly.
Also Read: India’s Drone Defense Technology to Prevent Intrusion Across Borders
