Drone deliveries set for big take-off on relaxed norms
Abhijit Ahaskar & Sohini Bagchi
NEW DELHI: From June 10, Redcliffe Labs will start using drones to carry medical test samples twice daily from its collection centres in the remote corners of Uttarkashi to its laboratories in Dehradun. By Julyend, it will operate three flights a day, the company said.
Experts said the healthcare industry will be the first largescale adopter of commercial drone delivery after the government liberalized rules for operating drones last August.
According to Redcliffe, the move will help the company reduce the duration of transporting test samples from six to eight hours via road to just 88 minutes. It is also looking to expand its services to the hilly regions in Himachal Pradesh, the Northeast and Ladakh, and is setting up a lab in Shimla to enhance coverage.
Skye Air Mobility is supplying drones to Redcliffe Labs. The drone delivery startup has partnered with 85% of organized diagnostic centres, including SRL Diagnostics and Redcliffe to deliver test samples and medicines by using drones. Besides, Skye Air is working with e-commerce and food delivery platforms.
“We are trying to do similar things at a commercial scale with Swiggy and Dunzo, who are planning to use drones in cities for delivering grocery,” said Ankit Kumar, chief executive, Skye Air. The first longrange demo flight for Redcliffe was conducted on May 19, he said, adding that it will be up to 30% cheaper and take 80% less time to transport the product. “Delivery by road in the hilly regions takes eight to 10 hours. Drivers must also be paid for their service. Drones will allow multiple flights, and reduce costs on manpower and vehicle substantially,” Kumar said.
Vivek Jhunjhunwala, partner, Deloitte India, said 2022 will see drone usage becoming widespread in India. “We can see a spurt in delivery drones in 12-18 months.” The government is actively assisting with usecases in healthcare sector, including delivery of vaccines, medicines and transporting human organs, he added.
Dheeraj Jain, founder, Redcliffe, said drones will more likely pick up in the hills where road travel takes longer. “We want to see large parts of the hills connected more regularly. We’re also trying to bring all of these package tests at a much cheaper price,” he said.
While drone deliveries have been in the works for a while, liberalized drone guidelines for commercial operators have facilitated adoption at a large scale. Drone Rules, 2021 had replaced the complex approval process required to fly drones beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS). Certification has also been made easier. Besides, the government is creating special corridors for drone delivery.