SkyDrop gets approval for New Zealand drone delivery services

Drone manufacturing and transport company SkyDrop has taken major steps closer to launching New Zealand’s first aerial food delivery service, receiving regulatory approvals from the nation’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

News of the breakthrough came from Canadian air traffic control and situational awareness tech developer Kongsberg Geospatial, whose IRIS Ground Control Station is being used by SkyDrop to prepare its New Zealand drone delivery operation. After examining the partners’ planned system, the CAA issued three separate approvals necessary to launch that aerial service.

Those included certain beyond visual line-of-sight flights for last-mile deliveries, drone operation over persons and property, and deployment of what’s being hailed as “the first revenue-generating last-mile drone delivery hub with customers in New Zealand” – with an initial center in the town of Huntly.

Because the SkyDrop authorization was based on Specific Operations Risk Assessment standards common to regulators in Europe, Canada, and other airspaces, the company’s New Zealand delivery network will be transferrable to other markets using the criteria as it expands its activities.

“This approval is a ground-breaking milestone for SkyDrop and the drone delivery industry as a whole,” said Matthew Sweeny, SkyDrop’s CEO. “SkyDrop is set to launch regular drone deliveries to the nearly 10,000 people and businesses in Huntly, New Zealand.”

Also read: Swoop Aero plans urban drone delivery network in New Zealand

Initially operating under the name Flirtey, Reno-based SkyDrop started out producing drones tailored to various kinds of transport missions before also operating those services itself – initially for medical and healthcare clients.

Over time, SkyDrop began expanding its activities into retail, food, and other drone delivery applications, including working with Domino’s in New Zealand to fly its pizzas to customers. That pizza delivery service is still on track to be launched sometime later this year, though with the CAA approval, SkyDrop is now expected to initiate its food drone deliveries in Huntly first.

Central to that will be Kongsberg Geospatial’s IRIS Terminal, providing advanced real-time 2D and 3D visualization of all airborne track and weather data, plus cues, alerts, and warnings to enable a single operator to monitor a complex airspace environment.

“We are excited to be collaborating with SkyDrop, an industry leader in last-mile delivery by drone,” said Jordan Freed, president of Kongsberg Geospatial. “We have worked closely with their team to customize and implement our technology, and their success is a testament to their world-leading capabilities.”