Drone Delivery Takes Off in Reykjavik, Sushi, Hamburgers and Beer

Inhabitants of Reykjavik in Iceland are all set to enjoy food supply service at their doorsteps thanks to Israel’s Flytrex drones.

The Israeli technology firm Flytrex, which has been using drones to deliver sushi, hamburgers and beer to hungry Icelanders, declared its expansion plan of supply routes in Reykjavik to 13 in number, from one. This means that the autonomous on-demand urban drone delivery service, will service almost half of the Icelandic city with said the Tel Aviv-based start-up.

Iceland’s largest on-demand supplier of restaurant food Aha.is will continue to partner with the Israeli start-up. The two have been together since the launch of the first delivery route.

Initially, Flytrex’s drone system operated along one route that bridged two parts of the city separated by a large bay. The package delivery was handled by delivery companies on one either side of the bay, reducing delivery time from a half-hour to minutes. As a result of a meticulous regulatory process with the Icelandic Transport Authority and hundreds of flights to pre assigned drop-off points, the system will now reach nearly half the city of Reykjavik, the statement said.

Flytrex said in a statement that it plans to safely lower packages using an advanced “InAir” wire-drop system directly to consumers’ backyards as a part of its upgraded service which will begin with a limited number of addresses and expand depending on approval by property owners. “We’re reaching new heights in Iceland,” said the CEO and co-founder of Flytrex, Yariv Bash, who is also involved in a project to launch Israel’s first spacecraft to the moon.

“The people of Reykjavik can now order sushi or countless other consumer goods straight to their homes via drone,” Yariv said in the statement. “The city’s citizens have come to expect instantaneous, on-demand food delivery, and now, with our direct-to-consumer wire drops, we’re bringing the drone revolution to their doorsteps. Drone-based disruption is flying high, with Iceland as its runway.” he elaborated.

The statement said that each drone has the approval to fly up to 700 meters off its path to make backyard deliveries in select, approved neighbourhoods which Flytrex intends to offer every resident in Reykjavik in the coming months. The customer can command the drones to lower the package to the ground via an app, at the pre designated drop-off point. On touchdown, the package wire will detach from the drone, and return to the drone-port.

“Today’s consumer desires almost instantaneous deliveries, almost as fast as they can click a button to order,” said Maron Kristófersson, CEO of Aha. “Expanding our drone delivery service goes a long way towards meeting those sky-high expectations. We will see tremendous benefits when drone deliveries become main stream,” he added. “They provide faster delivery, are exponentially better for the environment, and each drone can replace at least 3-4 cars, reducing traffic and transport infrastructure requirements. While the service is still undergoing continual improvement, drone delivery will soon be the new normal,” he concluded.