Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have successfully completed India’s first intra–city drone delivery flight trials in Bengaluru.
IIT Madras said the trials validated a mid-mile aerial logistics service connecting Electronic City Phase II with a site near Bangalore International Airport Limited. “Conducted under the research framework of the FedEx SMART Centre at IIT Madras, the initiative tested high-speed drone operations in complex urban airspace and assessed their potential to enhance network efficiency and reduce reliance on congested road infrastructure.” The trials are part of FedEx’s global efforts to explore safe and scalable logistics solutions for the future.
“Through detailed analysis of aerial corridors, the IIT Madras FedEx SMART Centre established that a 53 km road journey, which typically takes over 60 minutes, can be replaced by an aerial route of approximately 39-42 km,” IIT Madras said. “During the trials, this reduced one-way transit time to nearly 21 minutes – demonstrating the potential for step-change improvements in time-critical logistics. The flight path involved coordinated navigation through Airport Yellow and Red Zones, with all necessary permissions granted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.”
Operations were conducted at an altitude of 120 metres as per guidelines. Safety systems included an autonomous flight termination system, return-to-home capability and anti-collision strobe lighting. The implementation partner for the trial was Amber Wings.
For more information
Image: IIT Madras