Skyports, Irelandia Aviation become allies for drone deliveries in Columbia
The Skyports medical drone delivery trials will be the first of their kind for Colombia, with flights expected to commence around mid-2022. Drone delivery operations will be launched across remote areas of Colombia including La Guajira and Chocó, to carry critical health supplies.
Skyports has created a joint venture with Irelandia Aviation Limited, world's premier low-cost carrier (LCC) developer, to bring drone deliveries to Colombia and wider Latin America (LATAM). The joint venture will bring an innovative, fast, frequent and reliable logistics service to Colombia, providing a cost-effective solution to connecting Colombia’s rural communities.
The Skyports medical drone delivery trials will be the first of their kind for Colombia, with flights expected to commence around mid-2022. Drone delivery operations will be launched across remote areas of Colombia including La Guajira and Chocó, to carry critical health supplies. The collaboration will be led by Skyports’ Bogota-based Colombia general manager, Daniel Salamanca, who brings years of drone delivery experience and expertise to the project.
Irelandia, the world’s premier low-cost airline developer brings its deep aviation expertise to the partnership, through its previous ownership of leading airlines Ryanair, Tiger Air, Allegiant and Viva Aerobus.
Duncan Walker, CEO and founder of Skyports said, “Colombia is an incredibly exciting market for Skyports and one that is fundamentally important to us. Our drone delivery operations are not just about commercial gains, but also about connecting rural communities with the necessities of life, such as healthcare and logistics. It’s our aim that people receive the same level of healthcare, everywhere in the world, regardless of where they live.”
The joint venture will build on from Skyports’ proof of concept trials which took place earlier this year, where Skyports partnered with the UK’s world-leading National Health Service in rural Scotland, transporting COVID-19 test samples, vital PPE and other medical materials by drone between medical facilities in isolated and difficult to reach areas.
Dec Ryan, managing and founding partner of Irelandia Aviation said, “We’re excited about collaborating with Skyports on this joint venture and bringing our heritage in cutting-edge aviation, expertise of working closely with regulators, and market intellect to this partnership. This is just the start of our expansion into wider LATAM and we look forward to announcing more countries soon.”
