Airbound and Andhra Pradesh Sign Drone Delivery Pact

30 Jun 2026 CW Team

As part of a phased rollout, pilot operations will begin in Guntur and both parties are targeting 10,000 daily drone flights across Andhra Pradesh over the coming year. The planners indicated that that scale could position Andhra Pradesh among the largest commercial drone networks globally. The project forms the core of the proposed Amaravati Capital Region Drone Delivery Network and aims to establish interconnected corridors and service nodes across the capital region.

Central to the network is Airbound’s proprietary blended-wing-body tailsitter aircraft, described as an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) built from lightweight carbon fibre and weighing 1.5 kilogram (kg). The platform offers a 1.5:1 payload-to-weight ratio compared with the conventional 4:1 industry standard and the developer projects delivery costs up to 20 times lower than conventional methods, reducing transit expenses to as low as Rs 0.10 per km. The technology is intended to enable frequent point-to-point transport of single packages with lower physical economics than large vehicles.

The civil aviation minister characterised the move as an affirmation of India’s sovereign capabilities in next-generation aviation and highlighted the potential for high-skilled jobs and economic growth. The APDC leadership said the partnership will lay the foundations of a new logistics architecture for the State, while the company will undertake route mapping, regulatory coordination and operational trials, drawing on its record of more than 1,000 medical flights for a major hospital group.

"Join industry leaders at RAHSTA Expo, India's premier platform for roads, highways and traffic infrastructure. Register now to explore innovations, network with experts and shape the future of mobility."

Bengaluru-based Airbound and the Andhra Pradesh Drone Corporation (APDC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a scalable drone delivery network across the Amaravati Capital Region. The agreement was signed in New Delhi by the APDC chairperson and managing director and the founder and chief executive officer of Airbound, with the Union minister for civil aviation in attendance. The collaboration is designed to integrate logistics with healthcare, e-commerce and commercial stakeholders across Amaravati, Vijayawada and Guntur. As part of a phased rollout, pilot operations will begin in Guntur and both parties are targeting 10,000 daily drone flights across Andhra Pradesh over the coming year. The planners indicated that that scale could position Andhra Pradesh among the largest commercial drone networks globally. The project forms the core of the proposed Amaravati Capital Region Drone Delivery Network and aims to establish interconnected corridors and service nodes across the capital region. Central to the network is Airbound’s proprietary blended-wing-body tailsitter aircraft, described as an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) built from lightweight carbon fibre and weighing 1.5 kilogram (kg). The platform offers a 1.5:1 payload-to-weight ratio compared with the conventional 4:1 industry standard and the developer projects delivery costs up to 20 times lower than conventional methods, reducing transit expenses to as low as Rs 0.10 per km. The technology is intended to enable frequent point-to-point transport of single packages with lower physical economics than large vehicles. The civil aviation minister characterised the move as an affirmation of India’s sovereign capabilities in next-generation aviation and highlighted the potential for high-skilled jobs and economic growth. The APDC leadership said the partnership will lay the foundations of a new logistics architecture for the State, while the company will undertake route mapping, regulatory coordination and operational trials, drawing on its record of more than 1,000 medical flights for a major hospital group.

Infrastructure Transport

30 Jun 2026

The Risk of Negative Bids

The phenomenon of negative bidding in India's roads sector has moved from being an occasional occurrence to an industry-wide concern. With contractors increasingly quoting significantly below project estimates to secure orders, questions are being raised over project viability, execution quality and the long-term sustainability of the contracting ecosystem.These concerns formed the core of a high-level industry roundtable organised by CW, where senior industry leaders deliberated on the reasons behind the trend, its implications and the reforms needed to restore discipline and sustainability i..

Technology

30 Jun 2026

Building Faster, Cleaner and More Profitably

The First Construction Council (FCC), in association with CW magazine and supported by Autodesk as the Presenting Partner, recently convened an exclusive CXO roundtable titled “Building Faster, Cleaner and More Profitably: The Growth Playbook for Construction Leaders.”Held as part of a multi-city dialogue series spanning Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi, the roundtable brought together senior industry leaders to deliberate on the challenges and opportunities shaping India's construction and real-estate sectors...To read the full article Click Here ..

Real Estate

30 Jun 2026

NICMAR’s campus is a live lesson in construction methodology

At NICMAR University, architecture becomes a live lesson in construction innovation. Pankaj Nande, Principal Architect, TDC Architecture and Design, explains how Alumil’s fenestration systems helped turn a precast campus vision into a functional, durable and future-facing learning environment for the next generation of builders.Please take us through your journey as an architect and some of the projects you have worked on.I am the founder of TDC- Architecture & Design, Pune. Our journey started with the thought of doing justice not only to design, but also to construction methodology, te..