Dronamics, Qatar Cargo sign first cargo drone interline agreement

Dronamics and Qatar Airways Cargo announced an interline agreement, the world's first interline agreement between an international airline and a cargo drone airline.

The interline agreement allows the extension of the delivery networks of both partners, significantly increasing their reach as well as providing access to areas previously hard to reach by traditional air freight, says an official release.

"Through the agreement, Dronamics can offer cargo services from any of its droneports, initially in Greece, to the wider Qatar Airways Cargo network including destinations such as Singapore, China, Hong Kong, and the United States. Qatar Airways Cargo is able to access remote locations that Dronamics serves such as the Greek islands."

Through this network expansion, Dronamics customers can make a single booking to transport goods from a Dronamics droneport to any destination that the interline joint network covers and vice versa, the release said. "The potential for the flow of goods from pharma to food, e-commerce, mail and parcels to spare parts is significant, enabling rapid and reliable shipments to and from locations not sufficiently covered by air freight."

Svilen Rangelov, Co-Founder and CEO, Dronamics says: "We’re very excited to have the world’s largest air cargo carrier as our partner for the first-of-its-kind interline agreement with our category-defining cargo drone airline. While currently less than one percent of global trade moves by air, the vast global reach of Qatar Airways Cargo and their world-leading capacity and service give us the perfect platform to massively expand air cargo accessibility to countless more communities worldwide, enabling same-day delivery for everyone, everywhere."

Elisabeth Oudkerk, SVP, Cargo Sales & Network Planning, Qatar Airways Cargo adds: “As a part of our Vision 2027 five-year strategy, we are committed to remaining at the forefront of our industry by embracing new disruptive technology. It is also within our DNA to support young ambitious companies like Dronamics and we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this exciting business. It is a significant milestone in the advancement of autonomous cargo drone transportation and we are proud to be the first international airline to offer this service.”

Earlier this year, Dronamics became the first cargo drone airline to obtain IATA & ICAO designator codes, granting it recognition on par with other international airlines and the ability to issue air waybills to enable seamless bookings with its airline partners.

Dronamics is expected to begin commercial operations in Greece early next year, focusing on establishing a same day service connecting Athens, the capital city, with the industrial north area of the country as well as the islands in the south, the release added.