Swoop Aero has increased its drone fleet size by 300% in Malawi as a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in the number of drones will allow for 150 flights per day to be conducted if required. The drones will be used to distribute COVID-19 medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Australian aeromedical logistics company Swoop Aero has been working in Malawi with its drones delivering medical equipment, samples, and emergency medicine to over 650,000 people in the Nsanje and Chikwawa districts in Southern Malawi.
The drones in Malawi, Africa are currently flown by a team back in Australia with the team on the ground being a full Malawian workforce. Swoop Aero plan on training and employing a local team of 20 to maintain and pilot the drones locally in Malawi.
Eric Peck, CEO and co-founder of Swoop Aero, said the following on the Swoop Aero drone fleet in Malawi during the outbreak of COVID-19.
“As COVID gripped the world during March and April, we saw the volume of medical supplies and samples being carried by the Swoop Aero fleet rise by 300%. We’ve invested in our Malawi fleet to support the continued expansion of the network, and are ready to conduct up to 150 flights a day if needed to support COVID-19 response.”
Swoop Aero is currently working with the UK Government Department for International Development (DFID) and UNICEF to operate its multi drone aeromedical logistics network in Malawi in support of the Malawian Ministry of Health. The drones are being used to support the Ministry of Health in reaching its health targets and to support the government’s rapid pandemic response.
Do you think drones have been utilized to their full potential during the COVID-19 pandemic? Or should they be used more? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo: Swoop Aero
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