Drone food delivery makes its debut in northeastern Brazil

iFood will be the first company to carry out delivery by drones in the Brazilian northeast, starting with the capital of Sergipe, the city of Aracaju.

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Daily drone flights will be implemented with another innovation: intercity delivery, with the differential of crossing the Sergipe River, connecting the state capital with the municipality of Barra dos Coqueiros.

According to our partner media in Brazil, Aeroin, the drones will leave from the Riomar Aracaju shopping center and will reduce delivery time from up to 55 minutes by land to just 5 minutes by air. The project is being carried out in partnership with Speedbird Aero, the company in charge of supplying and operating unmanned aircraft.

«A delivery made by drone requires much more than innovation, it also broadens the scope of delivery possibilities, as in this case of Aracaju. We chose the city – the first in the northeast – to test new models and promote a new experience among customers in the region. In addition, collaboration with the local government and congressmen, who are excited about the development of innovation in the locality, has been fundamental. Our goal is to increase the efficiency of deliveries for everyone: consumers, restaurants, and deliverers, as well as to provide technological solutions and delivery alternatives in non-polluting modes,» said Fernando Martins, Head of Logistics and Innovation at iFood.

What are drone deliveries like?

Drone deliveries are made with special equipment designed for this purpose. The flight is made on a pre-established route -from a take-off and landing point of the equipment-, reducing on average 70% of the total time of the journey. Once the order arrives at the Droneport, the delivery driver transports it by traditional means (motorcycle, bicycle or scooter) to the customer’s home.

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The drone operation is managed by Speedbird Aero, iFood’s partner and the first Brazilian company to develop and operate drone deliveries in Latin America.

«Drones are being used more and more in product delivery logistics in some countries around the world, and Brazil has played a disruptive role. It is a constant evolution, bringing not only more safety, efficiency and time reduction, but also contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions,» highlights Manoel Coelho, CEO of Speedbird Aero.