pakistan 
Islamabad –
Foodpanda, Pakistan’s food delivery company and an e-commerce platform, tested food delivery via a customized drone.
The pilot project was carried out in association with Islamabad’s Deputy Commissioner (DC) office.
The test flight of the drone – Pandafly – took place in the F-9 Park Islamabad.
The food package weighed approximately 2.5 kgs, and it was taken from a restaurant at one end of the park to the other end.
The package was then distributed to children from Sweet Homes, invited for the occasion.
The use of this disruptive technology will mean faster deliveries over longer distances. Moreover, customers living in peri-urban areas of the country will benefit from the initiative, as they have limited options of food outlets in their respective regions. With drone delivery, they will now be able to order food from main urban centres.
The delivery by drone will also be completed by a Foodpanda rider, trained specifically for the purpose.
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Speaking on occasion, Nauman Sikandar Mirza, CEO Foodpanda, said, “Foodpanda’s core ethos is to innovate, widen the limits and leverage via the use of technology to find solutions for meeting the ever-evolving needs of the masses. Before we commence with actual drone deliveries for our customers, many aspects need to be evaluated and locked in, including legal, operational and technical matters, and we are vigorously addressing all these.”
He said the successful test flight and delivery were highly encouraging, proving that we were on the correct flight path.
DC Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat and his office worked closely with Foodpanda for their pilot project. Pertinent to state is that the DC was also the Chief Guest at the event. Expressing his views, Shafqaat said, “e-commerce and the practice of using technological innovations to serve the citizens is the future”.
