DHL is working with UK drone developer Dronamics to offer same-day cargo deliveries.

Dronamics has developed the Black Swan cargo UAV, a fixed-wing unmanned aircraft that can transport 350kg at a distance of 2500km and is claimed to be able to do this cheaper than any aircraft in existence.

With the signed partnership, DHL and Dronamics will jointly develop services and offer same-day cargo drone deliveries using the Black Swan drones. Both companies are discussing mutual exclusivity for middle-kilometre drone deliveries in selected industries and markets.

In addition, Dronamics’ goal to become carbon-negative by 2027 and operate on sustainable biofuels in the future should help DHL achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

“Innovation is a key part of DHL’s DNA,” said Matthias Heutger, senior vice president at DHL. “We are constantly exploring new technologies to bring value to our customers, and we believe that cargo drones will be an element in the next generation of transportation in logistics. Dronamics is a pioneer and leader in the field of cargo drones and our collaboration will help to open up opportunities for urgent, sensitive and time-critical deliveries. We are excited to pilot the use of the Black Swan in customer operations in the near future”

The partnership aims to combine Dronamics middle-kilometre cargo drones with DHL’s first and last-kilometre services. As part of the agreement, Dronamics will provide equipment and expertise to operate the unmanned drone flights, employing staff in handling and technical roles. The first commercial flights of the same-day drone cargo services are expected to begin next year.

“We are incredibly excited that Dronamics has been selected by DHL, the world’s largest logistics provider, as their first middle-mile drone partner, with a partnership that provides mutual exclusivity in selected industries and markets,” said Svilen Rangelov, CEO of Dronamics. “This partnership has the potential to generate €1.86bn to Dronamics’ revenues annually, with plans underway to build and operate over 4000 cargo drones to support the partnership in the coming years”

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