ANA to start drone delivery service as Japan eases regulations

Japanese airline group ANA Holdings will launch a drone delivery service in the fiscal year through March 2023, using a vehicle developed by a German startup to carry daily necessities and medicines to Japan's remote islands and mountainous regions, Nikkei has learned. ANA is preparing the service as the Japanese government takes steps toward relaxing drone regulations sometime in the same fiscal year. It will be the first time for a domestic airline to start a drone transportation service. ANA's German supplier is Hessen-based Wingcopter. The startup's drone has recorded a top speed of 240 kph and can travel up to 120 km, more than 10 times farther than general-purpose drones. ANA expects the service to transport daily necessities to remote islands as well as medicines and relief goods to disaster zones. It has been testing drone transportation on remote islands since 2018 and plans to deploy its airline expertise in flight route design and aircraft safety management.<br/>