Canberra's Covid lockdown has led to a surge in drone deliveries made to the city's north, forcing the company behind the technology to expand operations.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Since the start of the lockdown, drone delivery company Wing has made about 1500 deliveries a week, the same amount it normally does in a month.
The surge in deliveries of items such as groceries, coffee, ice cream and office supplies has forced Wing to move from running at five days a week to an all-week operation.
Wing's head of community affairs Jesse Suskin told The Canberra Times that with thousands of people in quarantine and supermarkets at capacity for home deliveries, many were finding alternative ways to get supplies to their door.
"It has been incredibly busy, and once lockdown started, we put on staff for seven days," he said.
"We have seen an increase not just in the number of deliveries but also people signing up for the service.
"Fortunately, we have been able to meet demand."
READ MORE COVID-19 NEWS:
Currently, the service only delivers to the Gungahlin suburbs of Crace, Palmerston, Franklin, Harrison, as well as Mitchell.
The company is only able to deliver to select suburbs in Gungahlin due to approvals from the federal transport department.
While the service experienced a surge in the wake of the first lockdown in 2020, Mr Suskin said the second lockdown had brought a greater increase due to the larger amount of people forced into quarantine at home.
READ MORE:
- Childcare centre listed among new exposure sites
- 'Two steps back': Canberra business tells of the pain of Covid
- Public housing residents forced into quarantine as complex named an exposure site
- Canberrans aged 16 to 29 can register for COVID-19 vaccine
- National cabinet unity fraying over vaccination targets
- Concerns raised that govt vaccine passport can be too easily forged
"They're in an isolation period due to them being at an exposure site, and there's a lot more people who can't leave the house," he said.
"There has been a greater reliance on delivery services."
However, with more people being at home during the lockdown, the increase in drone deliveries in Canberra's north has prompted some noise complaints on social media.
Mr Suskin said while the number of drones in the air may have increased, quieter drones were being used.
"The amount of drones in the air at any time depends on how busy things are and them going to different places," he said.
"We have been able to deploy quieter aircraft for flying, so most people shouldn't be able to hear it."
The lockdown has also led to drone delivery habits shifting in the areas that deliveries are possible.
Deliveries before the lockdown were more likely to be made in the afternoon after school, but Mr Suskin said peak times for deliveries were now throughout the day.
"Now we're seeing more orders in the morning and in the afternoon as well," he said.
"The shift makes sense to account for people not being at school and people needing things like coffee."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
Andrew Brown
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
