Matternet, a California-based autonomous aerial logistics company, will expand its drone delivery network through a partnership with Beeline UAS, a provider of commercial-scale drone logistics technology, the firms said.
Beeline UAS does not build or sell hardware, but instead says it provides the operational infrastructure, regulatory expertise, and scalable frameworks that allow platform partners to move to profitable, repeatable commercial operations.
Under the deal, Beeline will now operate Matternet’s flying drones in support of the company’s delivery-as-a-service agreements with food, retail, and healthcare customers. In regions characterized by traffic congestion and high labor costs, autonomous aerial delivery can provide faster and more cost-efficient delivery of time-sensitive goods, Matternet says.
Beeline will operate Matternet’s drone delivery platform in certain U.S. markets, joining other operating partners Ameriflight and UPS Flight Forward. Those firms all operate under a Part 135 certificate granted by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which provides federal approval for a company to operate as a non-scheduled air charter carrier.
Under that approval, Matternet and Beeline will initially focus on expanding Beyond Visual Line of Sight (“BVLOS”) operations in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
“Our mission is to make the impossible routine by enabling safe, compliant, and scalable drone operations,” said Toby Woods, Founder and CEO of Beeline UAS. “Matternet has built one of the most advanced drone delivery platforms in the world, and we're excited to help support the next phase of its growth. Together, we're creating an operational model that can bring the benefits of drone delivery to more communities across America.”