Mumbai, Jun 25 (PTI) Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup Airbound on Thursday announced signing an initial pact with Andhra Pradesh Drone Corporation (APDC) to develop a scalable drone delivery network across the Amaravati Capital Region.
Under the memorandum of understanding signed in the presence of Union Minister for Civil Aviation Rammohan Naidu, as part of the proposed Amaravati Capital Region Drone Delivery Network (ACR DDN), Airbound will work with ecosystem stakeholders across healthcare, logistics, and e-commerce to enable drone operations, connecting Amaravati, Vijayawada, and Guntur districts of the state, a statement said.
The phased rollout is expected to include pilot operations, route mapping, ecosystem partnerships, regulatory coordination, and the gradual development of interconnected drone corridors across the Amaravati Capital Region, it stated.
The collaboration is expected to support faster movement of healthcare supplies, commercial goods, and critical deliveries, while helping improve mid-mile connectivity and operational efficiency across urban and semi-urban regions, besides creating opportunities for investment, ecosystem development, employment generation, and innovation in the state’s emerging drone economy, the company said.
The initiative is expected to begin with operations in Guntur, with the two partners working towards enabling 10,000 daily drone flights across Andhra Pradesh over the coming year, a scale that could position the state among the largest commercial drone delivery networks globally, it said.
“Airbound’s trajectory shows what India is capable of in next-generation aviation. By partnering with a home-grown company to build one of the world’s largest drone delivery networks, Andhra Pradesh is demonstrating that cutting-edge technology can be designed, built, and scaled in India delivering real connectivity, jobs, and growth for our people,” said Naidu.
The collaboration reflects Andhra Pradesh’s growing ambition to emerge as the global hub for drone-led innovation and advanced logistics, as per the statement.
Airbound is the manufacturer of blended-wing-body tailsitter aircraft, built from lightweight carbon fibre and is considered one of the most-efficient logistics platforms in use today.
Designed for large-scale aerial logistics, it can deliver goods at costs as much as 20 times lower than conventional methods, enabling fast, reliable and affordable access across a wide range of geographies, the company said.
“With this MoU, Airbound is not just launching a new mode of delivery, they are laying the foundations of a new logistics architecture for Andhra Pradesh,” said Geetanjali Sharma, Managing Director and Chairman, Andhra Pradesh Drone Corporation.
“India is at an inflection point in logistics and aerial mobility, and Andhra Pradesh has both the ambition and the enabling environment to lead this transition at scale. Our goal is to build a network where drones move single packages point to point with the efficiency of a 20-tonne truck,” said Naman Pushp, Founder & CEO, Airbound.
With this collaboration, Airbound aims to build one of India’s most ambitious drone logistics networks, with costs as low as 10p/km, the company said. PTI IAS TRB TRB
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