November 2 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian cargo drone manufacturer Dronamics said on Thursday that it signed a letter of intent with Hellenic Post ELTA to initiate the first cargo drone deliveries for the Greek national postal service.
Greece has been picked for the launch of the cargo drone maker's commercial operations, slated for early 2024, Dronamics said in a press release.
As part of the agreement, Dronamics will initially provide middle-mile cargo drone deliveries to the state-owned postal services company. Logistics, handling and warehousing services provider Golden Cargo will act as Dronamics' general sales and service agent for Greece.
The Bulgarian company is prioritising the development of a same-day delivery service that links the capital Athens with the industrial northern region of Greece and the country's southern islands.
Further down the line, the companies are looking at a potential international collaboration in order to provide postal cargo drone deliveries from Athens to key European cities.
"The Hellenic Post-Dronamics partnership is an important initiative that will change the map in the Greek courier market. Together with Dronamics, we will provide services all over Greece faster, farther and in a greener way," Hellenic Post CEO Grigoris Sklikas said.
Dronamics in May completed the first test flight of its flagship Black Swan cargo drone. The drone can fly at a distance of up to 2,500 km, carrying cargo weighing up to 350 kg. The company has claimed that the Black Swan can enable 80% faster and 50% cheaper parcel deliveries, with 60% less carbon emissions.
This is the second partnership established by Dronamics in the post and parcel sector. Last month, the company announced that it will team up with Dubai-based Emirates Post Group on a pilot project for same-day middle-mile and long-range deliveries in the United Arab Emirates.
As at 1417 CET, shares in the company's Sofia-based special purpose vehicle Dronamics Capital [BUL:DRON] were trading 3.45% higher at 3.00 levs ($1.63/1.53 euro), bourse data showed.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)