Drone delivery operator, Skyports, has created a joint venture with low-cost airline developer Irelandia to bring drone deliveries to remote communities across Colombia and wider Latin America (LATAM).

The joint venture will be led by skyports’ Bogota-based Colombia General Manager, Daniel Salamanca, who was the first to receive approval for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights in Colombia on the Pacific Coast, where he worked with the national government and the presidency to transport blood samples from rural areas into central hospitals. These drone delivery trials benefitted more than 1,200 people and waiting times for laboratory results was reduced by more than 75%.

The first drone flights are expected to take place around mid-2022 with deliveries to remote areas of Colombia including La Guajira and Choco. The Skyports medical drone delivery trials, which will carry critical supplies such as vaccines, pathology samples and HIV tests, will be the first of their kind for Colombia. Australian drone company, Swoop Aero, is providing the drones which can carry up to 5kg, as far as 180km in harsh environments, such as high altitudes, wind and rain.

As a low-cost airline develop, Irelandia, brings its aviation expertise to the partnership, through its previous ownership of leading airlines Ryanair, Tiger Air, Alleigant and Viva Aerobus. Irelandia’s current airline is Viva Air, based in Colombia and Peru.

Commenting on the partnership, 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.”

Meanwhile, Duncan Walker, CEO and Founder of Skyports added that Colombia is an “incredibly exciting market.” He also stated that drone delivery operations are not just about commercial gains. “They are 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.”

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