RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Commercial deliveries can be made via drones in Brazil, including food, authorized by the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) on Friday (21). With this, São Paulo-based iFood, in partnership with Speedbird Aero, will be the first company in the Americas to make deliveries using this method throughout the Brazilian territory.
iFood is a Brazilian company founded in 2011, active in the internet food delivery business, being the industry leader in Latin America, with a presence in Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia.
The permission, which is the first of its kind in the country, is restricted to the DLV-1 NEO model on BVLOS routes beyond the pilot’s visual line. The drone must only fly distances of up to 3 km, with loads of up to 2.5 kg.
“This is a unique achievement for Brazil. This is a milestone in aviation and the development of society. It is the beginning of a change that will speed up deliveries using an air modal in part of the routes,” says Fernando Martins, head of logistics and innovation at iFood.
The company explained that the drones do only part of the route. They take the orders to a droneport (a specific and safe area for drones to land and take off), where they are picked up by an iFood courier, who completes the delivery to the customers.
iFood said in a statement that it has been testing the modal since 2020 and was the first food tech to make deliveries via drones with the approvals of the competent bodies throughout Latin America.
In December, the organization started its first experimental delivery route with Anac’s authorization. The operation includes intercity deliveries, with flights between Aracaju and Barra dos Coqueiros (SE).
The company emphasizes that all operations with drones are carried out by Speedbird, by professionals qualified and prepared to fly safely.
In a note, Anac reported that the project authorization process was developed in 8 months, together with Speedbird Aero and AL Drones. The work was also conducted by Anac’s Superintendencies of Airworthiness (Sar) and Operational Standards (Spo).
Tests were conducted to test the use of the drone: three in São José dos Campos (SP), to evaluate the technical characteristics of the aircraft, and one test in Aracaju (SE), for operational evaluation.
With information from G1