The first drone delivery service in Malta takes to the skies.

This past Friday marked the inaugural flight of Malta’s first delivery drone service.

Friday saw the successful delivery of medical equipment, including many Covid-19 swab tests and blood bags, from Cirkewwa to Comino using the Skymax drone, which was developed as a joint effort between QuAeuro, Phoenix Wings, and HandsOn Systems.

The drone can be used to transport lifesaving supplies during a crisis. It can also be used to expeditiously deliver paperwork and life-saving medical supplies.

The hope is that this delivery drone would make it easier to send packages between Malta and Gozo, especially if they are time-sensitive. These unmanned aircraft systems will have a maximum range of 80 kilometres and a top speed of 80 miles per hour. This means the drone can travel at a speed of around 1 km/h.

Additionally, it is known that this drone can travel the 20 to 30 minutes it takes to go from the Malta hospital to the Gozo hospital in the event of an emergency. The maximum payload for this type of drone is 10 kilogrammes, and it weighs little under 25 kilogrammes.

Minister Borg emphasised the significance of this development for Malta’s growing aviation and technology industries.

To paraphrase what he said: “Today more than ever we are seeing how drone technology is dynamic as it offers many different services to make life easier.”

Borg said the government intends to implement the use of technology in other areas and sectors, including land transportation using autonomous buses as an example, the transition to the use of electric cars, and the use of technology in the aviation industry.

“While we are still in the testing phase, we will continue to make sure that more traffic is eliminated, contributing to less pollution, once these drones are successful,” the spokesperson said.

This endeavour, along with others, exemplifies the government of Malta’s dedication to advancing the country’s progress. Borg emphasised the importance of keeping the United States a place where novel ideas can be conceived, researched, and put into practise for the benefit of all.

Director of Civil Aviation Charles Pace praised the use of a drone as an example of how technology can be harnessed and put to good use.

Our mission today was to move blood from one location to another. Outside of Malta, this is a very common form of physical activity. This will now be carried out in Malta as well,” Pace declared.