Skye Air CEO, ET Retail

Gurugram: Apart from medicines, groceries are now being delivered to Gurugram using drones to avoid traffic jams and environmental issues, Skye Air CEO Ankit Kumar said on Tuesday.

He said that in cities like Gurugram, drones offer an attractive solution by providing fast, eco-friendly and accurate delivery services.

Praveen Dutt Purohit, a customer based in Gurugram, said that when he places an order online, the goods are delivered to him very quickly and some goods reach him within a few minutes.

Purohit said that when he asked the delivery man how he brought the goods so quickly, he replied that it came from a drone.

Ankit Kumar, CEO of Skye Air, a drone services company, said that Skye Air is a drone logistics company that started its operations in 2019.

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Kumar said Gurugram has become the only city where drone deliveries are being carried out successfully and the government is also supporting this sector.

Regarding Skye Air, Kumar said: “We started with two drones and now our company has 30 drones. If you compare it with traditional methods, drones have countless advantages, especially in busy urban areas like Gurugram.”

“First of all, drone deliveries provide fast and efficient services as they can easily bypass traffic. This not only reduces delivery times but also eliminates traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, promoting a sustainable and eco-friendly logistics solution,” Kumar said.

“In addition, drones provide access to hard-to-reach areas. They will reach narrow streets and busy areas without any problems, ultimately increasing the reach of delivery services,” he added.

Ankit said that drones are used in healthcare and medicines are delivered to mountains where people find it difficult to reach.

“We are working in Himachal where roads are blocked, we are doing good work in the healthcare sector,” Ankit Kumar said, adding, “Our target is to have 100 drones in the next 18-24 months.”

Talking about the challenge of drone delivery in adverse weather conditions, Ankit Kumar said, “There is also a big weather-related challenge in drone deliveries. Everything that flies in the sky has to face the weather.”

In response to a question about whether drone delivery is possible even in bad weather, Ankit Kumar replied, “When the weather is very bad, we don’t fly the drone. We can fly in light rain, but we don’t take the risk.”

When asked if this drone delivery service will be launched pan-India, Ankit Kumar replied, “We are focusing exclusively on Gurugram for e-commerce, fast commerce. While we are working in Deoghar, Patna, Nagaland and Himachal in the healthcare sector, we are also working in the agricultural commodities sector.”

Talking about the financing of the project, Skye Air CEO Ankit Kumar said, “The company has also received a fund of around Rs 33 crore with which we will expand in this sector.”

“We are working with AIIMS in the healthcare sector and we are also working with NHAM and e-commerce companies,” he said.

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