Drone Delivery Canada expanding to Kenya

by Inside Logistics Online Staff

TORONTO – Drone Delivery Canada Corp. is working with a partner to explore the market for drone delivery in Kenya.

It has executed a Letter of Intent (LOI), with Astral Aerial Solutions Limited located in Kenya. The two companies will  work with the local regulator, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, to identify and analyze market opportunities for DDC’s drone delivery solution.

“As our first international opportunity, we are pleased to be working with Astral Aerial towards an agreement for DDC’s drone logistics solution in Kenya,” said Michael Zahra, president and CEO of DDC.

“There are numerous potential applications from traditional last-mile cargo to mining, oil & gas, healthcare, humanitarian aid and infrastructure inspection services. Astral Aerial’s parent company, Astral Aviation has a global, award-winning reputation and we look forward to a commercial relationship with them.”

“We are honoured to co-operate with Drone Delivery Canada, and to learn from their experience in providing innovative drone-based logistics platforms in Canada that can be applied in Africa. The Canadian technology can benefit various sectors in Africa especially in Healthcare and accessibility to Remote Communities,” said Sanjeev Gadhia, CEO of Astral Aerial Solutions and Astral Aviation.

New drone operator

Astral Aerial Solutions is a newly licensed drone operator based in Kenya. Astral Aerial’s vision is to offer innovative, flexible and cost-effective UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) services.

Astral Aerial was rated by Airbus as Africa’s Top 10 Tech Startups in 2018 and won the IATA Cargo Innovation Award in 2017, and was recognized by the World Bank for being the leader in Data Analytics and Agricultural Intelligence during its Disruptive Agricultural Technology competition.

Astral Aerial will provide drone-based solutions for cargo delivery, agriculture, and inspection of utilities.

Astral Aerial is associated with Astral Aviation which is an established cargo airline with a strong footprint in Africa and Europe, with a fleet of 14 freighter aircraft and a network of 50 destinations.