Spicejet gets DGCA approval for drone trials
by Sanchita NambiarSpicejet has received formal approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct drone trials.
Post trials and approvals, Spicexpress, the dedicated cargo arm of Spicejet will use these drones for faster and cost-effective delivery of medical, pharma, essential supplies and e-commerce products.
The Spicexpress-led consortium that submitted the proposal to the aviation regulatory body for conducting experimental ‘Beyond Visual Line of Sight’ (BVLOS) operations of remotely piloted aircraft, includes Throttle Aerospace, a drone manufacturing company, Aeologic, an analytics and software solution firm and Involia, which is a provider of air traffic awareness and collision avoidance services.
Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director, Spicejet, said, “Testing of drone technology for last-mile connectivity and cost-effective cargo deliveries are a big leap in the air transportation of essential and non-essential supplies in India.
“We are extremely optimistic about using this exciting new mode of delivery for products like perishables and medicines which have a smaller shelf-life and need urgent deliveries in the remotest parts of India.”
Spicejet has transported over 12,298 tons of cargo on more than 1728 flights since the nation-wide lockdown began.