VIJAYAWADA: Airbound, a Bengaluru-based aerospace company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Andhra Pradesh Drone Corporation (APDC) to develop a scalable drone delivery network across Amaravati Capital Region, marking a significant step towards building aerial logistics infrastructure in India.
The pact was signed in New Delhi on Thursday by APDC Chairperson and Managing Director Geetanjali Sharma and Airbound Founder and CEO Naman Pushp, in the presence of Union Minister for Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu.
Part of the proposed Amaravati Capital Region Drone Delivery Network (ACR DDN), the collaboration aims to seamlessly connect Amaravati, Vijayawada and Guntur by integrating logistics with healthcare, e-commerce, and commercial stakeholders.
As part of the phased rollout, pilot operations will begin in Guntur with both parties targeting 10,000 daily drone flights across Andhra Pradesh over the coming year—a scale that could position AP among the largest commercial drone networks globally.
Central to this network is Airbound’s proprietary blended-wing-body tailsitter aircraft. Built from lightweight carbon fibre and weighing just 1.5 kg, the UAV offers an efficient 1.5:1 payload-to-weight ratio compared to the conventional 4:1 industry standard. This specialised design allows the platform to slash delivery costs up to 20 times lower than conventional methods, dropping transit expenses to as low as 10 paise per km.
The Civil Aviation Minister said Airbound’s trajectory highlights India’s sovereign capabilities in next-generation aviation. He emphasised that the domestic development and scaling of such cutting-edge technology will generate real connectivity, high-skilled jobs, and economic growth.
Geetanjali Sharma noted that the partnership is actively laying the foundations of an entirely new logistics architecture for the State. She affirmed that combining Airbound’s technology with advanced State infrastructure ensures that local businesses and residents will experience the early benefits of drone-enabled services, advancing the goal to make AP a premier global destination.
Naman Pushp added that the initiative fundamentally alters the physical economics of freight movement. Rather than traditional logistics centred around large vehicles, he explained that the company aims to build an open-source grid where autonomous drones transport single packages point-to-point with the cost-efficiency of a 20-tonne truck.
The network will accelerate emergency healthcare transits, leveraging Airbound’s track record of executing over 1,000 medical flights for Narayana Health in Bengaluru. The company will undertake route mapping and regulatory coordination to establish interconnected drone corridors across the capital region.
