Wing starts with world's first drone delivery service

April 15, 2019 by
Jeroen Leenders

drone deliveryThe delivery of packages using drones starts this week in Australia. Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet, is going to deliver medicines, coffee and small food orders in the capital city Canberra.

Before launching their drone delivery service, Wing needed permission from the airline company CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) after a thorough analysis. This included: drone maintenance, pilot training and a traffic management system. Following this, Wing received the go-ahead needed from the relevant authorities.

There are strict requirements attached to flying with drones. Flying is not allowed in the evening or at night. On top of that, drones are not allowed to cross busy roads. They must remain at a suitable distance from pedestrians as well.

100 households drone delivery

Wing is starting in a suburb of Canberra, where only 100 households will be connected to the delivery service in the beginning. As Wing had already started testing the drone delivery, they are able to launch the service immediately. The company plans on extending to other areas over time, and the delivery service is expected to be good for an annual turnover of 30-40 million Australian dollars.

However, the company receives a lot of criticism and resistance in Australia. As local residents fear noise, lack of legal regulations and invasion of privacy, they filed a six-month lawsuit against Wing. To soothe the local community, the company plans to develop a new drone that makes less noise.

 

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