Zipline, a drone-based medical supply delivery company, has launched around-the-clock, drone-based medical deliveries in Rwanda. The continued demand for the service, even during the nighttime, motivated the launch, which took place after obtaining approval from the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority.

This would help reduce costs for health facilities, such as reduced patient transfers due to the unavailability of emergency supplies. Zipline started its drone deliveries in Rwanda in 2016 and currently operates commercial delivery operations in partnership with 320 health facilities via a fleet of roughly 65 drones. Zipline drones are capable of delivering more than 200 types of medical supplies, including vaccines.

The company also mentioned its plans to make home deliveries of medical supplies in the future.

In addition to Rwanda, Zipline also has operations in Ghana, India, and the Philippines. Furthermore, Zipline has run pilot operations in North Carolina since 2019 in partnership with Novant Health and Walmart.  Overall, the company has completed more than 100,000 commercial deliveries to date (mostly in Africa), making it one of the most advanced startups in the drone delivery space.