Drone specialist Aerit has completed Sweden’s first commercial beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) food delivery using its autonomous drone, the Nimbi.

Undertaken in collaboration with Region Halland, the delivery flight began at Hygge and flew a 2.7km route. Jimmy Sandberg, marketing manager for Region Halland, was the recipient of the delivery.

The flight was undertaken as part of a pilot project designed to explore the technical and regulatory aspects of drone delivery under new EU-wide regulations for commercial drone operations. These came into effect in January 2021.

Alexander Perrien, CEO at Aerit, said: “Autonomous flying drones provide numerous advantages to traditional last-mile solutions including speed, sustainability, accessibility, and, of course, a certain cool-factor.

“We have been working closely with Region Halland and Transportstyrelsen [the Swedish Transport Agency] to ensure that today’s delivery marks the beginning of long-lasting relationships that will enable the growth of drone delivery across Sweden and the EU.”

Nimbi delivery drones are battery powered with a maximum payload capacity of 4kg. An autonomous winching system facilitates both package pick-up and drop-off without the need for additional infrastructure.

Aerit will begin offering continuous delivery services in select locations across Sweden in 2022.