India Post drone delivery begins in Assam and Himachal Pradesh with Skye Air Mobility

Skye Air Mobility has started drone mail flights from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. The service runs under an agreement with India Post. The pact covers two states, including Assam, a company statement said. The move aims to speed up deliveries in areas where roads often fail during bad weather.

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The plan includes 150 routes across Assam and Himachal Pradesh, Skye Air said. These routes pass through regions where mountains and monsoon conditions often slow postal movement. Under the rollout, Skye Air will connect 110 locations in Himachal Pradesh. It will also link 40 locations in Assam.

India Post drone delivery routes in Himachal Pradesh and Assam

Drone se daak, ab gaon tak; an absolute pleasure to announce the launch of drone-based mail and parcel delivery by India Post on the Mandi-Rehardhar route in Himachal Pradesh. A journey that earlier took hours through difficult terrain will now be completed in just 7 minutes with real-time tracking, Union Minister of Communications and DoNER Jyotiraditya Scindia was quoted as saying in the statement.

Skye Air said the drones can carry loads of up to 10 kg. The drones can operate between 10 °C and 50 °C. Skye Air added that flight distances can range from 5 km to over 80 km. The company said this can cut delivery times from hours to minutes.

Skye Air Mobility drone delivery capabilities for India Post

The company said the service targets long-running last-mile gaps. It cited difficult terrain, seasonal flooding, and limited transport links. These factors often delay mail and essential services in both states. Skye Air said drone flights can continue even when roads become unusable.

Communities in Himachal and Assam need reliable postal delivery, their pensions, medicines, and government services depend on it. Getting flights airborne in Mandi within 72 hours of signing the contract showed what happens when policy, technology, and public service align, said Ankit Kumar, Founder & CEO, Skye Air Mobility.

India Post drone delivery and Branch Post Offices services

Through its Branch Post Offices, the Department of Posts delivers financial services under the India Post Payments Bank, distributes welfare benefits under Direct Benefit Transfer schemes, and provides access to postal savings and insurance products. The department uses this network to reach remote communities that depend on regular delivery links.

What makes this environmentally sustainable initiative particularly meaningful is that it emerged directly from feedback shared by our Gramin Dak Sevaks and Postal Assistants during the course of several interactions, he said. The statement linked the rollout to on-ground inputs from staff who handle rural delivery and counter services.

Through its Branch Post Offices, the Department of Posts delivers financial services under the India Post Payments Bank, distributes welfare benefits under Direct Benefit Transfer schemes, and provides access to postal savings and insurance products. When a drone lands with a mail bag at a remote Branch Post Office, it is not just carrying letters it is carrying economic inclusion.

With inputs from PTI