Prestige Falcon City residents now get medicines and groceries in less than 10 minutes via drones, courtesy of a new collaboration between drone logistics company Skye Air Mobility and quick-commerce platform BigBasket.
The project is part of a pilot initiative to boost delivery speed, decongest traffic, and promote environmentally friendly solutions in the gated complex in South Bengaluru.
“Our key goals are to provide quicker service, enhance efficiency, and decrease traffic congestion in the gated community, which earlier witnessed several delivery partners making repeated trips,” stated Avinash HV, Bengaluru Apartment Federation South President and Resident Welfare Association (RWA) member.
How the System Works
A BigBasket warehouse within a 5 km radius of the Prestige Falcon City complex serves all orders made from the society. Skye Air drones certified by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) later carry the packages to the society. Real-time tracking systems follow the movement of the drones.
Deliveries are received by a designated staff member stationed within the complex, who then distributes the packages to residents. The drones carry packages under 7 kg, either individually or in batches depending on demand. Notably, these drones do not carry cameras, making them privacy-friendly for neighbourhoods.
“Each delivery only takes 5 to 10 minutes, and service is available from 7 AM to 8 PM every day. Most importantly, the cost to the customer does not change,” Avinash said.
Bengaluru Expansion Plans for Drone Delivery
Skye Air Mobility plans to implement this model for 20 additional residential societies in Bengaluru within the next three months. The company presently processes 40–50 orders a day and uses two drones, with an intention to expand to 25–30 drones in the near future.
“We are processing 40–50 orders every day, and in quick commerce, time is of the essence. Our batching system increases efficiency,” stated Ankit Kumar, Founder and CEO of Skye Air Mobility.
The organization also intends to grow in areas such as Jayanagar, Bannerghatta Road, and Electronic City, backed by its emerging Skye Pod Network—purpose-built infrastructure for delivering drones to homes.
Increased Efficiency and Sustainability Perks
Drones, Kumar believes, can increase delivery efficiency by two times relative to conventional techniques. One drone is able to handle 60 deliveries a day—double the number delivered by an average delivery rider—while also cutting travel distance and emissions.
“The sky distance is almost half of the road routes, particularly in congested areas. We plan to increase the radius of delivery of dark stores from 1.8 km to 5 km in the future,” Kumar said.
Navigating Regulatory Hurdles
Operations are dependent on charted flight paths and tight coordination with agencies like HAL and DGCA. Drone flights are currently taking place in sanctioned green and yellow zones. Scaling the service further, though, needs regulatory clarity and ground-level enforcement.
“Though we receive airspace clearances from civil aviation authorities, one of the biggest challenges is ground-level enforcement, such as alerting local police under Drone Rules 2021,” Kumar said.
Adoption Still in Early Stages
Property experts aver drone deliveries within residential areas remain experimental. “Clearance by the central and state governments is paramount, since using drones within public areas doesn’t have an all-encompassing policy as of yet,” commented Gulam Zia, Senior Executive Director, Knight Frank India. “Some gated communities can use drones during pilot phases, but as of now, this is experimental.”
Though the technology is promising, Zia emphasized that effective adoption hinges on policy support, infrastructure development, and well-defined operational frameworks. Kumar is convinced that drone logistics will remain complementary to traditional delivery systems as it grows in importance with increased emphasis on automation and sustainability.
