IIT Madras, FedEx complete India’s first urban drone delivery trials in Bengaluru

Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have successfully completed India’s first intra-city drone delivery flight trials in Bengaluru , marking a major milestone in urban air logistics. The achievement has also been validated through official and industry disclosures, confirming its status as a nationally significant demonstration in autonomous delivery systems.

The trials were conducted under the FedEx SMART Centre at IIT Madras, a collaborative research initiative focused on technology-enabled supply chains , AI-driven logistics, and sustainable mobility solutions. The programme is supported by a multi-year partnership aimed at advancing real-world applications of aerial robotics in logistics.

The demonstration established a mid-mile aerial logistics corridor between Electronic City Phase II and areas near Kempegowda International Airport . By using planned aerial routes, the system reduced a conventional 60-minute, 53 km road journey to a 39–42 km drone flight completed in approximately 21 minutes.

Operations were conducted at around 120 metres altitude with integrated safety systems, including autonomous flight termination , return-to-home capability , and anti-collision lighting . The trials were executed in coordination with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) under regulated conditions for unmanned aircraft operations.

The project was implemented in partnership with Amber Wings , an IIT Madras-incubated deep-tech startup involved in developing certified drone platforms. Industry updates also note that current operations remain within visual line-of-sight limits, with broader BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) expansion under regulatory evolution.

“This milestone reflects the SMART Centre’s focus on sustainable and efficient supply chains,” said Nitin Navneet Tatiwala of FedEx. IIT Madras faculty highlighted the role of aerial robotics in building scalable logistics systems and accelerating innovation in delivery networks across India.