The Nova Poshta postal company performed the second test delivery of parcels from Kyiv to Lviv with an unmanned aerial vehicle on 17 November, covering a distance of 500 kilometers.
The company is thus continuing to test new routes for delivery of parcels with unmanned aerial vehicles with the aim of offering customers this mode of parcel delivery between cities with populations of 1 million or more next year, the CFTS portal reports, citing information from Nova Poshta.
The drone took off from the Kyiv Innovation Terminal at 09:00 on 17 November to deliver 10 parcels weighing a total of more than 2 kilograms to Lviv.
"For Nova Poshta, this is the first experience of delivering cargo with a drone from its own terminal to another terminal: from Kyiv (KIT) to Lviv (LEO). The points of takeoff and landing were city airfields during the drone’s first test flight from Kyiv to Kharkiv. A UAV that has a vertical take-off capability, does not need acceleration, and can deliver parcels directly to its destination was used today," said Volodymyr Masiuk, the director of the research and development department at Nova Poshta.
The drone has a carrying capacity of up to 16 kilograms. It can reach a height of 900 meters and spend up to 12 hours in the air without recharging. The communication signal for remote control of the drone has a range of 200 kilometers. A backup communication signal onboard the drone allows the device to be controlled from anywhere within Ukraine.
An operator who can take control of the drone in case of unforeseen circumstances monitors the flight of the drone.
Nova Poshta plans to become the first company to launch commercial delivery of parcels with unmanned aerial vehicles in Ukraine.
Nova Poshta recently announced plans to create its own cargo airline called Supernova Airlines. The airline will perform flights from the Boryspil and Lviv international airports. The air carrier will deliver international cargoes.
