Zipline conducts Kisumu test flight
Company plans to develop a drone-based medical delivery service in the county
Zipline has conducted a successful test flight of its medical logistics drones in Kisumu County, Kenya. It comes one year after the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the county’s local government to set up a new drone delivery network, serving over 400 healthcare facilities in the area.
The network would carry a range of medical products, including blood products and Covid-19 vaccines, centred on Zipline’s hub in Muhoroni, eastern Kisumu.
The service is expected to offer radically improved access to medical supplies for remote communities. Similar networks are already in various stages of operation or development by Zipline in other African countries, including Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria.
Rival drone delivery firm Swoop Aero received A$1.8 million of funding from the Australian government to expand its operations in the state of Queensland in December 2022.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.