Hellmann to trial European cargo drone deliveries ‘from next year’

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has unveiled plans to offer European customers “a pioneering new transport service for the cross-border transportation of time-critical goods” using cargo drones, with the first routes expected to begin as early as next year.

The European logistics group announced a partnership today with Dronamics, a leading “middle-mile cargo drone developer and operator”, which has been developing its cargo drones for several years. 

The two said the partnership “will provide customers seeking an on-demand solution for shipping goods with an integrated service, with Dronamics’ next-generation middle-mile service offering a speedy delivery at a competitive cost. The two companies will work together to develop the initial routes that they will be piloting for customers early next year.”

They said the “first geography of interest will be Europe, where the regulatory environment permits operations across the European union  ”.

Hellmann considers Dronamics “a forerunner among long-range drone developers”, with Dronamics aiming to be the first company to obtain operational authorisation for international unmanned flights across Europe.

Jan Kleine-Lasthues, chief operating officer for air freight at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, commented: “Partnering with Dronamics allows us to provide our customers with innovative and tailored solutions, especially in the growing market segments of spare parts, e-commerce, and cool chain. Dronamics enables a same-day middle-mile drone delivery service with an unmatched range of up to 2,500km and an impressive cargo capacity of 350kg. We believe this will be a game-changer in logistics.”

Svilen Rangelov, CEO and Co-Founder of Dronamics, commented: “We are extremely happy to have the opportunity to work with a leading logistics provider such as Hellmann, a company with a global network and a strategy to shape the supply chain of the future. Collaborating with freight forwarders is an essential part of our vision to make same-day deliveries a reality.”

As part of the agreement, Dronamics will provide equipment and expertise to operate the unmanned drone flights, employing local staff in different technical roles. The first commercial flights of the same-day drone cargo services are expected to begin in 2022.

Based in London (UK) and Sofia (Bulgaria), Dronamics aims to be a leading developer and operator of large cargo drones. Its flagship Black Swan unmanned aircraft is expected to be able to carry 350 kg of cargo over a distance of up to 2,500 km “at up to 80% lower cost than any aircraft in existence, enabling same-day shipping over very long distances for e-commerce, pharma, and time-critical shipments”.

The development of drones – or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – for cargo purposes has continued to gain momentum during the past year, and there has also been progress on the regulatory front, with important steps forward in both the US and the European union   at the end of 2020.

Not surprisingly, established operators of smaller drones that target sectors like the distribution of healthcare goods and vaccines have made the fastest progress – followed by the e-commerce sector, where the large players have continued to lead the charge – and some vaccine drone delivery projects have accelerated since the arrival of Covid-19.

But the advance of remotely piloted aircraft that can haul larger payloads has been less robust, and some players have deviated from their original plans. However, the official inauguration in April of a cargo drone airline by Dronamics – albeit without a functioning full-scale aircraft yet – and growing traction in the logistics industry, indicate progress towards the establishment of some commercial operations.

Following extensive trials of smaller-scale models, the company is still in the final stage of production and assembly of its full-scale Black Swan and will be starting test flights as soon as the aircraft is ready. Certification is still about a year away, estimates COO Sergio Oliveira e Silva, and the company is currently engaged in drafting manuals and writing procedures to that end.

Commercial flight operations expected next year

But preparations for its first commercial flights, expected next year, are already in high gear. At the end of April, the company announced three new ‘droneport’ locations at three German airports – Paderborn-Lippstadt, Rostock-Laage and Airport Weeze – bringing the number of agreed droneports to 38 airports in 12 European countries. Other European droneport agreements have been signed with airports including Liège Airport, which serves as Alibaba’s European air hub, and Brescia Airport, the national hub for the Italian postal system.

These droneports, where drones are launched to cruising altitude and landed at the end of the remote-controlled flight, are so far mostly at second- and third-tier airports – often around an hour from a major airport. But other locations are also viable, as long as they have a 400-metre runway, Dronamics says.

Founded in 2014 by the Rangelov brothers, an economist and an aerospace engineer, the company’s fast-growing team includes some of the world’s top aerospace and logistics experts and is the winner of numerous awards for innovation, including IATA’s Drone Innovation Award.

Since its foundation 150 years ago, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has developed into one of the largest international logistics providers in the world. In 2020, the Hellmann Group achieved sales of around €2.5 billion with more than 10,000 employees, offering a range of services including classic forwarding services by truck, rail, air and sea freight, as well as a comprehensive range of CEP services, contract logistics, industry and IT solutions.