TechEagle launches eight drone hubs with healthcare partners across India

Drone logistics firm TechEagle on Monday announced the launch of eight dedicated hubs in collaboration with the country's premier healthcare institutions across eight states.

The dedicated drone hubs, inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week as part of Rs 12,850-crore multiple healthcare sector projects, will serve as critical points for rapidly deploying medical supplies, including essential medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic samples to underserved and hard-to-reach communities, TechEagle said in a statement.

The eight dedicated facilities include hubs at AIIMS Guwahati, AIIMS Rishikesh, AIIMS Bilaspur, and AIIMS Bhopal, among others, it stated.

With a targeted reach of over 200 locations across Assam, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh and others in the coming year, this initiative (of setting up dedicated hubs) will be a game changer for India's drone logistics landscapes, the company said.

"Our drone trials with AIIMS reduced delivery times to just 20-30 minutes -- 20 times faster than traditional ground transport. This competitive edge led us to secure major contracts, capturing over 80 per cent of cumulative contract value in this domain," Co-founder and COO at TechEagle Anshu Abhishek said.

These hubs serve as a foundational step toward establishing a nationwide drone delivery airline, envisioned as a shared logistics network capable of supporting deliveries across sectors, including e-commerce, quick commerce, hyperlocal services, and healthcare, TechEagle said.

Currently operating with a capacity of 50 flights daily, these newly launched hubs are projected to scale up to 5,000 flights per day over the coming years, it added.