Zimbabwe has opened a new frontier in commercial aviation after the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) approved Drone Solutions Zimbabwe to conduct co...
Zimbabwe has opened a new frontier in commercial aviation after the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) approved Drone Solutions Zimbabwe to conduct commercial drone delivery operations, allowing unmanned aircraft to transport medicines, vaccines and other time-critical supplies across the country.
The approval covers authorised hybrid aircraft and operations conducted under Visual Line of Sight (VLOS), Extended Visual Line of Sight (EVLOS) and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) conditions, according to a company media brief issued in Harare on Wednesday.
The approval creates an opportunity for drone technology to be used in last-mile logistics, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities where poor roads, long distances, flooding and other disruptions can delay the movement of essential supplies. The company said its initial focus will be on critical logistics linked to healthcare and emergency support.
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Drone Solutions International president and group chief executive Jeremiah Musabayana said the approval could support the development of more resilient logistics systems in Zimbabwe. “This approval is bigger than Drone Solutions. It gives Zimbabwe an opportunity to build faster, more resilient and more inclusive logistics systems — and to ensure that geography does not stand between a person and essential healthcare or emergency support,” he said.
The regulatory approval follows a certification process that included a long-distance medical delivery demonstration between the Drone Solutions Training Institute flight school at Blue Ridge and Murewa Hospital. The demonstration was conducted as part of the process leading to the approval for commercial drone delivery operations.
Air traffic control personnel were stationed at the flight school, Murewa Hospital and the control centre at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport during the demonstration. The flight was monitored in real time through the company’s flight-management platform.
According to Drone Solutions, the delivery system is initially designed around critical logistics. These include emergency medicines, vaccines, diagnostic samples, blood products, maternal-health supplies and antivenom.
The company said the drone delivery system could also support rural hospitals and communities that become cut off by floods or road closures. Beyond healthcare, the platform could be used for time-sensitive agricultural, veterinary and industrial cargo.
The development follows efforts by Drone Solutions to position drone delivery as a healthcare logistics solution earlier this year. In April, the company announced plans for a network aimed at reaching remote communities and using drones to transport vaccines, blood products, pathology samples and medicines.
Drone Solutions has also previously demonstrated long-distance drone operations in Zimbabwe, including a flight to Murewa Hospital under CAAZ observation. The latest approval moves the company’s activities beyond demonstrations and feasibility exercises towards potentially deployable commercial services.
The company said it is now ready to move into operational pilots and develop delivery corridors. This work will combine route design, airspace coordination, cargo and healthcare integration, trained crews, aircraft monitoring and maintenance support.
Drone Solutions is inviting Government, the ministries responsible for health and transport, hospitals, humanitarian agencies, development finance institutions and private companies to participate in building locally operated delivery networks.
The approval therefore provides a regulatory basis for Drone Solutions Zimbabwe to proceed with commercial drone delivery operations under the authorised conditions. The company plans to use the approval to develop delivery corridors and conduct operational pilots focused initially on critical supplies.
The planned services are centred on moving essential cargo where delays can affect healthcare and emergency support. The company has identified medicines, vaccines, diagnostic samples, blood products, maternal-health supplies and antivenom among the critical items its system is designed to transport.
The company also sees potential applications beyond healthcare, including agricultural, veterinary and industrial cargo that requires time-sensitive delivery. Rural hospitals and communities affected by floods or road closures are among the areas the system could support.
The development follows the company’s earlier work in demonstrating long-distance drone operations and its plans announced in April for a healthcare-focused delivery network. The CAAZ approval now allows the company to move towards operational pilots and the development of delivery corridors.
Drone Solutions said the proposed networks will require coordination between several stakeholders, including Government, health and transport ministries, hospitals, humanitarian agencies, development finance institutions and private companies. The company is inviting these organisations to participate in developing locally operated delivery networks.
The approval covers Visual Line of Sight, Extended Visual Line of Sight and Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations involving authorised hybrid aircraft. The certification process also included the long-distance medical delivery demonstration between Blue Ridge and Murewa Hospital, with air traffic control personnel and the company’s flight-management system involved in monitoring the operation.
With the regulatory approval now in place, Drone Solutions Zimbabwe is preparing to move from demonstrations to operational pilots. Its stated focus is to develop delivery corridors that combine aircraft operations, route planning, airspace coordination, cargo and healthcare integration, trained crews, aircraft monitoring and maintenance support.
The company said the wider objective is to establish locally operated delivery networks that can support the movement of critical supplies across Zimbabwe. The approval gives Drone Solutions a basis to pursue that objective through authorised commercial drone delivery operations.
