Delhivery tests autonomous drone in Deoria for faster rural delivery
A live 12km drone flight carrying medicines cut delivery time from 40 to 12 minutes, showing how aerial logistics can support rural access.
Delhivery has successfully tested its autonomous Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) drone in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, demonstrating how aerial technology can speed up deliveries to rural areas. The live trial, held on 7 December in the presence of Shashank Mani Tripathi, Member of Parliament from Deoria, showed how drones can cut delivery times and support faster last-mile logistics.
The demonstration was executed by Delhivery Robotics India, a subsidiary of Delhivery. A drone carrying medicines completed a pre-programmed 12km route autonomously. The journey, which normally takes around 40 minutes by road because of infrastructure challenges, was completed in about 12 minutes. The company said the test highlights how aerial logistics can reduce delivery time for urgent shipments in rural India.
Shashank Mani Tripathi said Uttar Pradesh is becoming an “industrial engine” of New India, and technology can improve the ease of living for rural citizens. He welcomed Delhivery’s initiative to explore drone corridors in the district, saying it supports the vision of a digitally connected and accessible Deoria and an innovative Uttar Pradesh.
The drone used in the test is part of Delhivery’s prototype fleet being developed with proprietary technology. The aircraft can carry up to 5 kilograms across 60–90 kilometres on a single charge and uses a hybrid design. It takes off vertically like a helicopter and flies horizontally like a plane. Delhivery is also developing a new platform with a payload capacity of up to 20 kilograms and higher indigenised content.
Nikhil Ummat, Head of Engineering at Delhivery, said the technology is designed for India’s geography. By bypassing traffic and road conditions, the company aims to turn “next-day” delivery into “next-hour” delivery. Deoria was chosen for the pilot because it is a growing urban centre that serves a large rural population that is often difficult to access by road.
Delhivery said the drone ecosystem could generate employment, with demand for pilots, maintenance engineers and ground operations staff. This will create new skilled jobs in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
