***updated**
Drone Delivery Canada (DDC) is about to begin a commercial delivery service based at Edmonton’s international airport (CYEG) using its own specially designed Canary RPAS. Also involved in the deal are Apple Express Courier Ltd, BBE Expediting Ltd. and MFM Management Inc. The latter is a company wholly owned by the Montana First Nation of Alberta. Air Canada assisted as DDC’s sales agent.
The 12-month contract, worth $417,000, includes the transportation of medical equipment, supplies and samples to distant clinics using the drone. The flights will be remotely controlled by pilots based at DDC’s operations centre in Vaughan, Ontario.
DDC has been working for years on the commercialization of cargo-carrying drones, designing and building their own machines and developing and patenting their operating systems. This is one of the first fully commercial contracts the company has entered into.
“We are very pleased to sign these new agreements as part of the next phase of our operations at Edmonton International Airport, as well as introducing two new partners as part of the agreements,” said DDC CEO Steve Magirias. “This next phase will enable us to further expand our delivery capabilities, showcase our Canary RPA, and explore new use cases for RPA delivery within the YEG area.”