Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has given the green light to an aviation company affiliated with Google’s parent company Alphabet to fly delivery drones in North Canberra.
Wing Aviation Pty Ltd., a licensed and certified drone operator, will get to deliver “small ‘just-in-time’ supplies” within about 10 kilometers from the base station.
These supplies may include food, medicines, or even small items of hardware, according to CASA. Flying hours will also limited to from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays, according to CASA.
The Australian regulator said “the system is automated, however, a licensed drone pilot is always at the helm.”
“Over the past 18 months, Wing has delivered food, small household items and over the counter chemist products more than 3000 times. They have satisfied us that their operation meets an acceptable level of safety,” CASA said.
On April 8, Wing announced in a blog post that it has commenced the delivery service in the suburbs of Crace, Palmerston, and Franklin.
“Our service allows customers to order a range of items such as fresh food, hot coffee or over-the-counter chemist items on our mobile app, and have them delivered directly to their homes by drone in minutes,” Wing explained.
Initially, it said its partners include Kickstart Expresso, Capital Chemist, Pure Gelato, Jasper + Myrtle, Bakers Delight, Guzman Y Gomez, and Drummond Golf.
An initiative of Alphabet, Wing’s operations started in 2012, but the company has been testing drone delivery in Australia since 2014.
“Over the past 18 months, Wing has delivered food, small household items and over the counter chemist products more than 3,000 times to Australian homes in Fernleigh Park, Royalla and Bonython communities.” the company said.
Moving forward, Wing said it will continue to work with the local community to improve and expand the service.
