ANA looks to commercialize drone delivery by 2022 with Wingcopter

Japan-based ANA Holdings, parent of All Nippon Airways, and Germany-based Wingcopter have begun trials using unmanned electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) fixed-wing aircraft in Japan and intend to develop a delivery network for pharmaceutical and consumer products. ANA and Wingcopter conducted the first test flights in late March between Fukuejima and Hisakajima in Nagasaki Prefecture in western Japan — relatively remote islands where the timely transport of medical supplies is challenging due to poor infrastructure, according to the two companies. <img class="wp-image-95316" src="https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" srcset="https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter.jpg 2523w, https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter-300x215.jpg 300w, https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter-1024x733.jpg 1024w, https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter-768x549.jpg 768w, https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter-1536x1099.jpg 1536w, https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter-2048x1465.jpg 2048w, https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter-150x107.jpg 150w, https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter-500x358.jpg 500w, https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter-120x86.jpg 120w, https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter-350x250.jpg 350w, https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter-750x537.jpg 750w, https://aircargoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ANAWingcopter-1140x816.jpg 1140w" alt="ANA looks to commercialize drone delivery by 2022 with Wingcopter" width="550" height="393" data-pin-no-hover="true" /> ANA and Wingcopter carried out the first trials in western Japan. (Photo/Wingcopter) The trials will continue throughout the country to determine suitable aircraft types for the different regions in Japan, taking into account factors such as weather and demand. Wingcopter’s eVTOL drone is capable of carrying up to 6 kgs over a distance of around 40 km. Without payload, the range increases to up to 120 km. Fellow Japanese carrier Japan Airlines also announced last year that it will study the creation of a drone delivery network in partnership with California-based Matternet, with trials involving prescription pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and food deliveries in Tokyo. The growing number of partnerships between cargo carriers and drone developers illustrates the maturity of drone technology and clearer regulatory guidance. “We are now routinely seeing new types of aircraft, new use-cases, and new types of operations sharing airspace with traditional aviation,” said Fang Liu, secretary general of ICAO, during the UN organization’s Drone Enable Symposium earlier this week. ICAO’s initial efforts focused on the integration and authorization processes for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), which are “now resulting in new guidance material for the development and deployment of UAS traffic management systems,” Liu said. Dronamics, a drone developer and drone airline operator, told Cargo Facts the guidance is making commercialization a reality. “What’s changed between this year and last year is there has been a lot more regulatory guidance,” said CEO and cofounder Svilen Rangelov. In 2019, Air Canada Cargo began working with Drone Delivery Canada to explore how drones could facilitate deliveries to remote and hard-to-reach communities in Canada. E-tailers such as JD.com and Amazon continue to explore drones for final-mile delivery, while express carriers including U.S.-based UPS and China-headquartered SF Express have recently announced orders and new partnerships for VTOL cargo drones. UPS, for example, is purchasing ten and up to 150 more VTOLs from Beta Technologies . ANA’s international cargo traffic rose 12.4% year on year in February, to nearly 60,000 tonnes — the third straight month of growth. Domestic cargo was notably weaker and was down 47.2% compared to February 2020, at 17,000 tonnes. Cargo Facts Asia, taking place April 20-21 as a virtual experience, is the event for exploring opportunity in the Asia-Pacific region. The event continues to bring together the best, brightest, and most innovative executives in the global air cargo industry. Learn more and register at www.cargofactsasia.com .

ANA looks to commercialize drone delivery by 2022 with Wingcopter

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ANA looks to commercialize drone delivery by 2022 with Wingcopter

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