Busan, Korea - Skyports Drone Services, a leading drone airline, has unveiled an exciting collaboration with RigiTech to launch an innovative inter-island drone delivery project in Yeosu City, Korea. Supported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MoLIT), the Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology (KIAST) and the Yeosu City government, this groundbreaking project aims to revolutionize the delivery of pharmaceuticals and food by drone. Notably, this project marks the first flight operations conducted by Skyports Drone Services in conjunction with its new partner, RigiTech.
The Yeosu City drone initiative represents the first phase of a series of flight trials and proof-of-concept projects driven by a consortium of drone service providers. The consortium, which includes Skyports Drone Services Korea, Marine Drone Tech, and RGB Lab, will run the project until November. The first phase of the project, which began in June, focuses on establishing regular flights between the Yeosu mainland and three islands (Gaedo, Geumodo, Songdo) to bridge the gap for residents in remote areas. Over the course of five months, the consortium aims to demonstrate the feasibility, safety, and benefits of drone operations, while emphasizing the improved well-being, accessibility, and connectivity that these services provide to island residents and local businesses.
The project will use a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) service for flights between 20 and 60 kilometers. A dedicated mobile application developed for the project allows island residents to request delivery or pick-up of various cargo, including pharmaceuticals, restaurant food, groceries, and fresh seafood such as sea urchins and octopus that islanders source and sell to mainland restaurants.
For the aging island population, this drone delivery service represents a significant step forward, providing previously inaccessible links to the mainland, improving access to medical care, facilitating food deliveries, and enabling competitive pricing for seafood and produce. In addition, the consortium is exploring the possibility of mail delivery to further improve access and connectivity for island residents.
The project will use RigiTech's Eiger drone system, Skyports Drone Services' new light payload electric VTOL aircraft. The Yeosu City initiative marks the first commercial application of the Eiger after months of rigorous flight testing. Chosen for its substantial 3kg payload capacity and long-range BVLOS capability, the Eiger is ideally suited to Yeosu's geographic characteristics. It joins the similarly capable Swoop Aero Kookaburra III and Kite in the Skyports Drone Services fleet, strengthening the drone operator's scalability and contingency planning.
Mitchell Williams, Korea Country Manager for Skyports Drone Services, commented, "What better place to launch our new partnership with RigiTech than in Skyports Drone Services’ newest market" and "The launch of our partnership with RigiTech in the Yeosu region is a significant milestone for Skyports Drone Services. The Yeosu City project perfectly embodies the essential elements we look for in a new venture: a hunger for innovation, strong local and government support, and a practical and scalable use case. Skyports Drone Services and our consortium partners in Korea look forward to demonstrating how drone delivery can create meaningful and sustainable connections for remote communities."
Adam Klaptocz, co-founder and CEO of RigiTech, expressed his excitement about this project, saying, "Our technology has been recognized for its reliability and proven success. We are thrilled to be a part of the Skyports Drone Services project and fleet, pushing the boundaries of BVLOS flight to new regions."
A Yeosu City official noted, "Yeosu City is poised to lead the drone industry by expanding infrastructure to promote drone mobility, a new growth driver for the future, and implementing a drone logistics delivery demonstration project to provide convenience to island residents living in a logistically challenging area." The second phase of the project will evaluate the benefits and potential use cases, with the ultimate goal of scaling the service to make it permanently available in more locations.
