Page 9 - LUA September-October 2025 for Magzter

completed more than 2,150 deliveries,
transporting over 5,000 medical
products to 25 remote health facilities.
Photo: © UNICEFUNI732321Ndomba Mbikayi of over 10,000 flight hours, carries
Its fully electric Wingcopter 198 drone,
designed with redundancy and a lifespan
4 kg up to 35 km one-way or 70 km
round-trip under BVLOS. Benjamin
Pahlich, Senior Business Development
Manager at Wingcopter, explained: “The
Wingcopter 198 delivery drone includes
a certified cold chain solution which
ensures the adequate handling and
transportation of medicines, vaccines
and laboratory samples.”
reach areas, and gaining acceptance from Much of its endurance testing is done
armed groups. In 2024, the ICRC ran 28 in Malawi at 1,300m above sea level
missions in Sudan, DRC, the Lake Chad to adapt to African weather. In Kenya,
region, and the Sahel—feeding 2 million Wingcopter partnered with Siemens
people, helping 4.1 million improve Healthineers to pilot the transport of
food production, and supporting over 1 lab samples, creating lessons for scaling
million with income. Nearly 9.7 million diagnostic access. Since 2017, it has
people benefited from water and housing worked with governments in Malawi,
projects, and healthcare support reached Kenya, and Tanzania and partners
343 health centres, 311 hospitals, and 89 On average, we including UNICEF, GIZ, DHL, and
physical rehabilitation projects. transport between Siemens Healthineers.
Behind each number is a supply At the heavier end, Windracers
chain—warehouse staff in Nairobi, truck 1,000–3,000 tonnes offers bulk aid solutions. Its aircraft
drivers on Sahel roads, pilots landing of humanitarian deliver up to 150 kg over 1,000 km
in cyclone-hit Mozambique. These are cargo annually, without landing. “In a sector facing
the hidden lifelines of survival. Unlike growing cost constraints, Windracers
online shopping, a one-day delay in depending on enables affordable, safe, fast deployment
humanitarian aid can cost lives. the scale of without compromising impact,” said
“For urgent deliveries, air transport emergencies. Charlie Goldsmith, Humanitarian
is prioritised,” Iacona said. Road, sea, and Global Development Use Cases
and mixed transport are used for regular SANJEEV GADHIA Lead. The firm will operate at Malawi’s
shipments. Gadhia added: “Air cargo fills Astral Aviation Kasungu Humanitarian Drone Test
the last-mile gap. When even planes can’t Corridor and plans missions in the
reach, drones step in—taking aid to the stockouts and a 42% drop in missed DRC. Windracers has proven its
most remote communities.” vaccination opportunities. resilience with the UK’s NHS during
Beyond Ghana, Zipline has scaled the Covid-19 pandemic and the British
WINGS UNFOLD, rapidly. In Rwanda, its drones have Antarctic Survey.
HOPE DESCENDS completed more than one million These innovations come as the United
In Ghana’s Ashanti Region, postpartum deliveries, ensuring blood and Nations Humanitarian Air Service
haemorrhage (PPH) once claimed too emergency medicines arrive in under 30 (UNHAS) cuts a fifth of its fleet due to
many mothers’ lives due to delays in minutes. In Nigeria, Zipline is serving a £73.5 million shortfall—part of what
accessing blood and medicines. Now, multiple states, delivering antivenoms, OCHA has described as “the deepest
Zipline’s drones are rewriting the story. blood, and vaccines to regions where funding cuts ever.” In this context,
A study co-authored by the Ghana poor roads once meant deadly delays. drone operators are stepping in with
Health Service and Zipline found a 56.4% Other innovators are building on lower-cost, flexible cargo solutions
reduction in maternal mortality at facilities this momentum. Wingcopter, a German that make humanitarian air transport
served by drones compared to those manufacturer, has operated in Malawi more accessible across Africa. By
without. A 2022 IDinsight study showed since 2019, working with UNICEF, filling the gap left by shrinking fleets,
66% fewer patients miss treatment for GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale drones are proving not just useful but
severe malaria thanks to faster deliveries, Zusammenarbeit - German Corporation indispensable—emerging as a critical
while a Gates Foundation–funded study for International Cooperation) , and backbone of humanitarian logistics on
confirmed a 60% reduction in vaccine the Ministry of Health. To date, it has the continent.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2025 LUA 7