Blue Dart partnered with drone delivery startup Skye Air to deliver packages using drones significantly reduce delivery

The package delivery firm Skye Air, based in Gurugram, and the logistics behemoth Blue Dart, a subsidiary of the DHL Group, have teamed up to use drones. The collaboration started with the goal of drastically cutting delivery times from hours to minutes. The expanding e-commerce industry will be Blue Dart's primary focus initially. 

Delivery times with drones have been reduced from one hour using conventional means to just seven or eight minutes, according to Skye Air CEO Ankit Kumar. Kumar says that Skye Air's center in Sector 70-71 in Gurugram is where the drone deliveries are managed. The drones take off from this center and travel to certain Skye Pods placed inside apartment buildings. Three societies are now using Skye Pods for Blue Dart deliveries. 

The packages are dropped off at these specialized containers and picked up by "Skyewalkers," or last-mile delivery executives, who subsequently bring them to the clients' doorsteps. This method is made to increase productivity and guarantee delivery in a matter of minutes.

The National Capital Region's (Delhi NCR) extreme heat makes it difficult to operate drones. Drone flights are planned between 6 and 11 a.m. to minimize this, avoiding the noon heat wave that can reach as high as 50°C. 

Despite advancements in the regulatory procedures, the company also needed multiple local administrative approvals in order to provide services to the residential societies.

In Gurugram, "green zones" have been strategically employed by Skye Air, whereby drone activities are permitted without requiring previous authorization from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). 

Golf Course Extension, SPR, New Gurugram, Dwarka Expressway, and Sector 50 are a few examples of these zones. But getting local administrative clearances was a difficult procedure.