Telangana will become the first state to start trials for drone delivery of Covid-19 vaccines as it starts trials of ``Medicines from the Sky’’ (MFTS), in partnership with an Indian drone delivery start-up Skye Air Mobility which is part of the consortium for the Telangana government project. The company has also partnered with BlueDart Express for this purpose.

According to Swapnik Jakkampundi, Co-Founder, Skye Air Mobility said, "The key elements that were deterrents in the sector for a long period are now in favour of this development. The environment is optimistic, people have the right mindset, favourable government policy and aerial technological advancements, drone delivery will be a game-changer very soon. We are extremely delighted to be a part of this project with the Telangana Government and our tie-up with leading firms to give the first live demonstration trials which are being conducted in real-time with real vaccines & medicines being carried."

Skye Air focuses on an end-to-end ecosystem for drone-based logistic transportation.

MFTS Project's first two days of the trials will be flying in the visual line of sight, which involves drones flying between 500 to 700 meters from the base and they can be seen with the naked eye. From 11th September onwards BVLOS drone flights will take place for 9 -10 km distances. These flights will be with consignments of vaccines, medical samples and other healthcare items.

As per the Expression on Interest, the company will have two certified remote pilots who have been specifically trained for the BVLOS trials during the project.

India is taken by the Covid-19 pandemic storm, with an ever-increasing incident of confirmed deadly virus cases by the day, the Telangana government is exploring the scope of delivery of medical and healthcare provisions through drones across the state.