Drone as a service provider, Skye Air Mobility, on Tuesday said it has signed an agreement with SRL Diagnostics to augment supply chain for collecting and transporting pathology samples to labs in Gurugram and Mumbai.

From April 8, around 60 test flights would be undertaken from Fortis Hospitals or the collection centres to SRL’s labs in both these cities, the drone delivery start-up said in a press statement. The BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) drone delivery trial flights will be conducted in designated green zones of Gurugram and Mumbai.

SRL Diagnostics operates over 425 laboratories across India. And it has been able to create an integrated logistics system covering 40,000 km every day and enabling 10,000-odd pick-ups from nearly 150 dry ice locations. It manages over 7750 flights too.

Highly efficient mode

“Post the successful trial, long range deliveries will also begin which will be particularly useful in congested locations, hilly regions and mountainous terrain. This will help us build efficiencies for specialised and super specialised tests that are typically performed only at our global reference laboratories. Since the time taken for sample transfer is cut down, we will have better temperature control for samples, especially during summer ,” Anand K, CEO, SRL Diagnostics said.

According to Ankit Kumar, CEO of Skye Air Mobility, the platform will replace the mid-mile and “prove to be advantageous in reducing time taken for sample transfer”. Thus there is likely to be an improvement in patient outcomes as well.

“SRL Diagnostics’ approach towards drone delivery as a technology disruptor in the pathology industry inspires us, and we look forward to growing our long-term partnership,” he said, as per the company statement.

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