Amazon will soon be testing drone deliveries in India

Folks living in the U.S. would know by now that when it comes to testing out drones, there are just very few areas that have been designated for such testing to occur. The rules, however, are a whole lot more relaxed elsewhere, such as in India as the world’s second most populous country looks set to be the place where Amazon will roll out their plan to perform deliveries to customers using drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Amazon might first test its much awaited drone-powered delivery in India before anywhere else, thanks to the absence of modern laws on unmanned aerial objects. The Economic Times reported, citing unnamed sources, that the online retailer will be trying out its Prime Air drone delivery service in Mumbai and Bangalore where customers will get their purchased products within 30 minutes delivered by a drone. Amazon says its drones will be able to carry packages weighing upto 2.26 kg. Such packages account for 86% of the products sold on the site. The service might start during the festive month of October, ET reported. While the company has chosen not to comment on this, the first mention of the possibility of Amazon testing its Prime service in India appeared as speculation by an analyst on US stock research website SeekingAlpha about ten days ago. India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation has no laws governing drones yet though it is planning to come out with some regulations. As things stand now, “Amazon will not be breaking any laws in India,” said Bharat Malkani, an aviation expert and CEO of Mumbai-based Max Aerospace.