Wing To Begin Drone Deliveries In Finland

With an experimental run in Finland, Wing plans to start delivering goods to residents in Helsinki’s Vuosaari district via drones. The test is said to involve deliveries of meatballs for two and fresh Finnish pastries — along with other meals as well as snacks, the company said in a Medium post.

Wing wrote in the post, “Vuosaari is an inspiring locale for Wing in several ways. Helsinki’s most populous district, it is bordered by water on three sides, with significant forestland alongside residential areas and a large international cargo port. The density of Vuosaari’s population makes it a great place to launch our first service to multi-family housing communities as well.”

The company noted the city “has been so welcoming over the six months we’ve been on the ground.” The company had test flights in the winter north of the city to see how the fleet could handle difficult conditions. It also has been at work with the community, hosting local events to give residents opportunities to ask questions about the program.

The news comes as Wing received approval to use drones for package delivery by the Federal Aviation Administration in late April. The New York Times, citing the FAA, reported Wing was given the nod to commercially deliver packages. The company has been testing delivery drones in Australia (Canberra), where it was able to make over 3,000 drone deliveries. The moves were aimed at showing off how safe the drones were and to get the FAA’s approval.

Through the approval of the FAA, Wing will be able to make deliveries via drone in a southwest Virginia area. While the exact locations were reportedly still up in the air, the drones will only be able to operate during the day in clear weather. At the same time, it was noted that the drones won’t be able to fly over 400 feet and one pilot can operate up to five drones. Wing makes its deliveries by lowering a package using a hook from approximately 20 feet.