The drone delivery trials for delivery of medicines and vaccines will be held in Vikarabad, Hyderabad from 9th September till 17th October, the company said. These flights will have consignments of vaccine, medical samples and other healthcare items.

‘Medicine from The Sky' is an ambitious project of Telangana Government and it will become the first State to start trials of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights for delivery of COVID-19 vaccines.

Indian drone delivery start-up firm Skye Air Mobility which is a part of the consortium for Government of Telangana "Medicines from the sky" Project will conduct the majority of drone flights. Skye Air has joined hands with BlueDart Express to provide drone-based delivery and drone flights to conduct these trials. Skye Air focuses on an end-to-end ecosystem for drone based logistic transportation.

Balfour Manuel, managing director, Blue Dart says, “India rolled out a nationwide vaccination campaign that has administered over 70 crore COVID vaccine doses so far. While the nation is focusing on achieving 100% vaccination, the current situation calls for a much deeper penetration of vaccines, especially in the remote areas. Delivery of vaccination through drones would be a stepping stones to achieve this goal.”

Blue Dart Express is South Asia's premier express air and integrated transportation & distribution company. It offers secure and reliable delivery of consignments to over 35,000 locations in India.

The company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 31.27 crore in Q1 FY22 as against a net loss of Rs 125.84 crore in Q1 FY21. Net sales during the quarter rose by 108.15% to Rs 866.22 crore in Q1 June 2021 over Q1 June 2020.