Drone deliveries set to take off from Edmonton International Airport
A new type of aircraft will soon be taking off from the Edmonton International Airport (EIA).
On Thursday, Canadian drone technology company Drone Delivery Canada (DDC) announced it reached an agreement with the EIA and two courier companies to supply and manage new drone infrastructure for off-airport deliveries.
Initially, the unmanned drones will be pre-programmed to fly cargo from the EIA to a landing spot in Nisku, Alta.
The flights will be monitored remotely by DDC from its operations control centre in Vaughan, Ont.
On Friday, DDC president and CEO Michael Zahra told CTV News Edmonton the specific destination in Nisku is still being decided on by the two courier companies, Apple Express Courier and Ziing Final Mile.
"There's a couple in contention," he said from his office in Toronto. "Once they decide which one it's going to be we'll have a DroneSpot depot there, and the drone is programmed to fly back and forth between those depots."
ROOM TO GROW
Zahra pointed out that while the drones' route will be from one takeoff point to one landing spot at first, the operation has the potential to be scaled up, down the road.
"The network can be really whatever the customer wants. It could be multiple points of origin, multiple points of destination."
The new route will initially be flown by the smallest of DDC's three delivery drone types, known as the Sparrow.
The battery-powered Sparrow has a range of up to 30 kilometres and can carry up to 4.5 kilograms.
DDC's battery-powered Robin drone has a 60 kilometre range and a 11.3 kilogram payload.
Zahra said DDC's largest courier drone, known as the Condor, is almost as big as a small helicopter. The gasoline-powered drone can carry up to 180 kilograms of cargo and can fly roughly 200 kilometres per flight.
According to Zahra, his company is operating under what current regulations in Canada allow for right now, with business to business and rural remote flights making up the bulk of its operations, but he expects a broader use for the technology in the future.
"You will see a greater penetration of drone delivery into suburban and urban markets," he said, "and definitely one can envision seeing home deliveries."
Zahra expects the two courier companies will use the drones to move a wide variety of cargo.
'WE'RE PROVIDING A BUSINESS SERVICE FOR OUR REGION'
EIA spokesperson Traci Bednard told CTV News Edmonton the new drone operation will help bring the airport's cargo delivery services to a new level.
"When we really think about the future and how much cargo is taken from the airport to off-site, you can see that there's such a significant demand for the kind of efficiency drones can provide.
"What this does is provide very quick access from the airport to that final delivery point."
Bednard said the EIA will work alongside DDC to ensure all regulatory measures are in order.
"If we can provide the support to build the infrastructure for companies like DDC to then provide that last mile to the business site," she said, "then we're providing a business service for our region."
While personal drone flights at airports are restricted, Bednard said regulated commercial drone flights are a good fit for the EIA.
"Those (large) aircraft flights are so highly regulated," she said. "By applying that same kind of discipline into drones, you can see that it's a very safe and effective methodology."
The EIA spokesperson said she believes this will be the first drone delivery operation of its kind at a large-scale international airport in Canada.
Implementation of the drone delivery infrastructure has already begun. The operation is expected to launch in September.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.