Drone operator Aerit has announced it will pilot drone delivery services to the Swedish archipelago in collaboration with ICAx, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, and Norrtälje municipality. The announcement follows selection of the project for funding by the Swedish Innovation Agency Vinnova via the “Drones in Service of the Climate for Autumn of 2021” call.
The one-year project unites stakeholders from business, research, innovation, and government, to study the benefits of drones in last-mile transport, and to accelerate the implementation of climate-neutral logistics. Norrtälje municipality has many islands and large rural areas providing an excellent arena to pilot drone delivery.
The project builds on Aerit’s drone delivery platform that aims to provide on demand access to a network of autonomous sky-couriers in the near-future.
“Drone delivery has the potential to reduce emissions from last-mile logistics. With reduced delivery time, it also helps to improve the service quality and accessibility in rural areas, which could support behavioral changes toward a climate neutral society. We will, through the project, conduct research to generate insights on the solution’s potential to create societal benefits.” said Lei Chen, Senior researcher at RISE who leads the project.
“Norrtälje municipality looks forward to working with this innovative project. We see multiple opportunities for all companies and residents in the archipelago, countryside and in our city centers. We believe this project has great potential for positive impact both environmentally and economically.” said Daniel Klemserud, Business Development Manager, Norrtälje municipality.
Since founding the company in January of 2021, Aerit’s milestones include regulatory approval for operations under the EASA SORA framework, and successful completion of Sweden’s first commercial drone delivery of food in October of 2021. Aerit plans to launch continuous delivery services in select areas around Sweden in 2022.
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