Cargo is getting a new air lift. Milan’s airport operator SEA has successfully completed an electric drone trial of vertical take-off and landing. SEA Group manages the airports of Milan, Linate and Milan, Malpensa providing all services and related activities.
The trial tested the capabilities to transport goods from Malpensa’s airport Cargo City to Barbarini & Foglia logistics warehouse.
Why does this matter? Drones can significantly reduce the time it takes to transport goods, especially over short distances. This can lead to faster delivery times and more efficient logistics operations.
Drone cargo deliveries
Technosky conducted the cargo operations with a NIMBUS cargo drone, completing an 8 km round trip twice, carrying a small payload.
The flight trials aim to test innovative drone transport services provided by D-flight. These trials at Malpensa’s Cargo City could pave the way for large-scale drone cargo deliveries, improving delivery times, reducing CO2 emissions compared to road transport, and promoting environmental sustainability.
These flight trials are part of the European project U-ELCOME (U-space European COMmon dEpLoyment), coordinated by the EUROCONTROL Innovation Hub (EIH). The project’s goals include optimizing delivery times, reducing CO2 emissions, and promoting environmental sustainability through the use of drone cargo services.
A game changer for logistics
E-commerce is growing with industry leaders like Amazon and Walmart adopting drone use
Dronamics is the world’s first drone cargo airline. In an exclusive interview, Severina Grozeva, director of global communications and public relations demonstrates why drones are an in-thing.
“The trends show increasing demand for faster, cheaper, and more sustainable deliveries. E-commerce is a growing industry with increasing demand. 62% of shoppers expect online orders to arrive in less than 3 business days; the majority of them within 24 hours,” says Grozeva.
French e-commerce market
Asendia offers a range of international e-commerce and mail delivery services. The company services fashion, apparel, health and beauty, marketplaces, and food and supplements. Key destinations for e-tailers include Asia, Europe, the USA, and Canada.
Key insights for the French market:
- 78% of shoppers prefer home delivery.
- 63% of French shoppers buy online for the best price.
- 61% prefer delivery by La Poste.
If 76% of shoppers in France prefer home delivery, this may be a key metric to show businesses that drone delivery just may be the way to go.
Cargo drones market
Markets And Markets reports future drone use in logistics operations is viewed as a big opportunity, especially by the middle-mile sector. “Due to the higher payloads of cargo drones, companies are now focusing on middle mile logistics.
What is middle-mile logistics? Middle-mile logistics refers to the movement of goods from a warehouse or distribution center to a retail store or another distribution facility.
NOW READ: Online shoppers: DHL’s insights on e-commerce trends
Photo Credit: U-ELCOME
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About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
