Airbound & Narayana Health Complete 700+ Diagnostic Sample Drone Deliveries, Plan Expansion to Bengaluru & Kolkata

The companies plan to expand it to five more clinics across Bengaluru within the next one to two years, with further plans to connect additional clinics and hospitals to the centralised laboratory.

Bengaluru-based Airbound has completed over 700 drone deliveries for Narayana Health as part of a pilot project, marking a development in medical logistics.

The pilot involved transporting diagnostic samples across a 4 km route from a clinic in Chandapura to the central laboratory at Narayana Health City in Electronic City. Each flight carried up to 40 samples and completed the journey in 10 minutes, compared to longer road transport times affected by traffic.

As per reports, the operations were conducted over 54 days in a live clinical environment with zero failed deliveries.

Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, founder and chairman, Narayana Health, said, “Driven by the conviction that technology is the primary catalyst for reducing healthcare costs, we are proud to announce the expansion of our medical drone delivery services. As lifelong proponents of technological integration, we have invested significantly over the past 25 years in building a robust digital platform designed to deliver safe, affordable, and accessible healthcare to all. Redefining Efficiency through centralization of essential services - such as clinical laboratories and blood banks - presents a massive opportunity to lower the cost of diagnostics and transfusions. Historically, however, the twin obstacles of transportation time and logistical expenses have hindered this transition.”

Before the pilot, diagnostic samples were transported through three to four daily road transfers. With the introduction of drone deliveries, the system enabled up to 20 flights a day, allowing continuous sample movement instead of batch based transfers.

Within three weeks of the pilot, Narayana Health eliminated road transport for this route, enabling faster processing and improved diagnostic turnaround times.

The drone delivery system is expected to be expanded to an upcoming paperless clinic in Banashankari, subject to final regulatory clearances and government approvals.

''The standardization of drone transport for blood samples and life-saving blood bags will be a true game-changer, allowing for medical interventions at remarkable speeds. Our sincere gratitude to the government for establishing a supportive regulatory framework that encourages such vital innovation,” Dr Shetty added.

Expansion Plans

Following the pilot, Airbound and Narayana Health plan to expand the drone delivery system to five more clinics across Bengaluru within the next one to two years, with further plans to connect additional clinics and hospitals to the centralised laboratory.

The model is also expected to expand to other cities, including Kolkata.

Beyond healthcare, the company is exploring applications in e commerce, food delivery and quick commerce logistics.

Naman Pushp, founder and CEO of Airbound, said “Completing 700+ flights across 54 days can only happen with two teams fully committed to the mission, and I am proud of what both teams have achieved. Narayana Health gave us something most partners would not, a real clinical environment with real consequences, and the trust to operate within it from day one. This pilot demonstrated that frequent, predictable aerial logistics is not a future concept and is running right now in one of India's busiest cities. Conventional logistics is primed for change. Our ambition is to build a new layer of infrastructure for commercial freight, and when that change comes, distance stops being a barrier to opportunity.”

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