Nova Poshta has tested delivery using a drone, the test parcel rose to an altitude of 300 meters at 07:00 from the Chaika airfield (Kyiv region) and arrived at Korotych airfield (Kharkiv region) at 12:00.

According to the press service of the company, the parcel departed in the opposite direction at 14:00 from Korotych and will arrive in Kyiv at 19:00.

The test dispatch was carried out on a Discovery drone of the Ukrainian company Aerodron.

"For the first time in the world, a drone with a parcel flew a distance of 480 km. In addition to Nova Poshta, no other logistics company has dared to do this. Our plans are to reduce the flight time to three hours and scale the delivery by drones, making it available for the majority of clients," CEO of the company Oleksandr Bulba said.

Nova Poshta notes that the next test flight is planned to Lviv and will take place in August. In the future, the flight time will be reduced to three hours, and the total weight of the cargo to be transported will be 250 kg or more.

The company plans to launch the service into commercial operation as early as 2022.

Speaking about how the package is delivered by a drone, Nova Poshta said that first it is delivered from the sorting terminal to the airfield, where it is loaded into a special compartment of the drone. Then it goes along a preprogrammed route.

"For parcels, this type of transportation is absolutely safe. In the sky, the drone behaves like a real plane and is able to recognize any obstacles in its path. In particular, the drone is equipped with a special parachute. Therefore, in case of unforeseen circumstances, the protective system will work, and it will land with its help. In addition, the drone is monitored by an operator who controls the device in case of dangerous moments and can take control. During testing, the parcel was additionally accompanied by an aircraft in the air," the company said.