Aerit has announced that they will pilot drone delivery services to the Swedish archipelago in collaboration with ICAx, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and Norrtälje municipality. The call follows the selection of the project for financing the Innovation Agency Vinnova via the call ‘Drones in the climate in service in the autumn of 2021’.

The one-year project brings together stakeholders from business, research, innovation and government to study the benefits of drones in last-mile transports and to accelerate the implementation of climate-neutral logistics.

“Delivery of drones has the potential to reduce emissions from logistics in the last mile,” said Lei Chen, a senior researcher at RISE, which is leading the project. “Reduced delivery times also help to improve service quality and accessibility in rural areas, which could support behavioral change towards a climate-neutral society. Through the project, we will conduct research to generate insights into the solution’s potential to create societal benefits. ”

“We have a high level of enthusiasm for participating in this pilot study together with Peter Horwitz, the store owner of ICA Nära Gräddö Skärgårdshandel, and all pilot partners,” says Emma Lindahl, co-lead at ICAx, the innovation hub for ICA Gruppen. “Of course, the delivery of drones is a rapidly growing area, and we believe that the timing is right to start exploring. The study is very much in line with some of our strategic ambitions and our desire to make everyday life a little easier for our customers with sustainable transport solutions. ”

Norrtälje municipality has many islands and large rural areas that constitute an excellent arena for piloting drone deliveries.

The project is based on Aerit’s delivery platform for drones, which aims to provide on-demand access to a network of autonomous sky couriers in the near future.

Since the company was founded in January 2021, Aerit’s milestones include regulatory approval for operations under the EASA SORA framework, and the successful completion of Sweden’s first commercial drone delivery of food in October 2021. Aerit plans to launch continuous delivery services in selected areas around Sweden. in 2022.