Garuda Indonesia has entered into a partnership with Beihang UAS Technology to use BKZ-005 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) – otherwise known as drones – to transport cargo in Indonesia, according to a report on FlightGlobal.
The report claims that in the initial stage, Garuda will take three of the UAVs, which will be capable of carrying up to 1.2 tonnes of cargo, with an endurance of 1,200km while flying at an altitude of up to 5,000 metres.
Testing the UAVs will reportedly take place in September, with plans to begin operational deployments in the fourth quarter of 2019.
The report says that Garuda Indonesia plans to deploy up to 100 UAVs across Indonesia for its cargo operations, as part of a wider focus on growing its domestic cargo operations.
It reportedly feels UAVs are a great option to meet market demand and cargo revenue opportunities in remote regions in Indonesia such as Maluku, Papua, and Sulawesi.
(Picture credit Anggun Tifani/Okezone)
