Japan Airlines brings drone services to remote Setouchi residents

Japan Airlines is partnering with governments responsible for a small coastal community in western Japan, launching drone services that will provide regular delivery of provisions and ensure food as well as medical needs during recurring periods of isolating extreme weather.

According to a release by Japan Airlines, “Amami Island Drone” is an aerial service it will provide in cooperation with local authorities in Okayama Prefecture. The UAV operation will primarily serve the roughly 8,000 residents of Setouchi, whose lives in a tiny coastal inlet are routinely disrupted by rough, when not extreme weather conditions.

Launched after trial runs extending back to 2020, the Setouchi drone innovation will use a Fazer R G2 craft operated by Amami Island Drone to make regular deliveries of medical supplies and food during normal times. The objective is to ease life for locals of Setouchi – where the average age is 53 – as well as other smalls tows in Amami Islands. 

During times of extreme weather conditions – when violent surf and landslides make habitual ship deliveries impossible, and movement on land treacherous – the drone transport will switch to disaster provision mode. As part of that, a DJI Matrice 300 will also be deployed to provide regional authorities with real-time updates of conditions, and help prepare recovery when things calm. 

Japan Airlines said it’s providing operational support through its experiences in advanced drone operation and safety management, which will enable, among other things, regular beyond visual line of sight flights. The company will also dispatch trained UAV pilots during the earlier phases of the project to ensure safe operation until local operators can be instructed and certified.

The initiative is based on what Japan Airlines (JAL) calls its ongoing efforts to improve life through various kinds of aerial tech and services, particularly for remote or aging communities that until now have had to fend for themselves.

“JAL is working on solving social issues and revitalizing local communities through air mobility,” the company said in a communiqué. “These initiatives aim to create sustainable flows of human, commerce, and logistics by leveraging the technology and expertise developed in the aviation industry. In the drone business in Setouchi Town, JAL will support the development of community-based operations, including the training of drone pilots and operational support, and expand the social implementation model of island logistics drones to the entire Amami Islands.”