Business Insider Africa
- Zimbabwe has authorized the use of drones for delivering medical supplies, expanding technology-driven logistics in the country.
- Drone Solutions Zimbabwe received approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) deliveries using Kite Aero drones.
- This move marks the transition from demonstration and training flights to daily healthcare delivery operations, with regular service starting after successful trials in August 2026.
- Drones are used to deliver vaccines, blood, pathology samples, and pharmaceuticals to remote areas, reducing delivery times to around 30 minutes.
The Zimbabwean subsidiary of Drone Solutions International, Drone Solutions Zimbabwe, Africa’s biggest drone services network, recently received approval to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone deliveries within the Southern African country.
The approval, which was granted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ), allows Drone Solutions to move beyond training and demonstration flights and begin daily delivery operations using Kite Aero’s KITE uncrewed aircraft system.
Drone Solutions completed its demonstration flight programme in August 2026, paving the way for regular healthcare delivery services.
Kite Aero, an Australian aviation company, used flight records from AXIOM, an American aerospace company, and its drone operations management platform to support Drone Solutions’ application.
The company said AXIOM has recorded more than 41,000 autonomous flights and 20,000 flight hours across Africa, Europe, the Pacific and the United States, as seen on DroneLife.
“We commend Drone Solutions for their hard work in taking a new category of aircraft through the approval process with a national regulator,” said Philip van der Burg, CEO of Kite Aero and AXIOM.
“With AXIOM as the system of record, it was easy to support Drone Solutions and CAAZ in the approval process, which unlocks a use case in a new country. Zimbabwe now joins a growing list of jurisdictions where the KITE, powered by AXIOM, is approved to fly BVLOS,” Philip van der Burg added.
Drone Solutions Zimbabwe, a technology and aviation enterprise headquartered in Harare, Zimbabwe, provides commercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations, drone-based delivery networks, and specialized pilot training programs.
In April 2026, the company inaugurated its drone delivery program, which was specifically engineered to transport medical equipment to isolated regions.
Drone Solutions noted that its drones, utilizing Kite Aero aircraft, are distributing vaccines, blood products, pathology samples, and various pharmaceuticals across parts of Zimbabwe, achieving an average delivery time of approximately 30 minutes.
This initiative is supported by Drone University, a Harare-based drone operator training institution licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ).
Drone Solutions currently operates in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
