Twenty-one flights, four mountain refuges reached, over one ton of supplies delivered. These are the results of a pilot project developed and organized by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, and carried out in partnership with FlyingBasket, a South Tyrolean tech firm that specializes in the design and development of cargo drones for logistics. Cargo drones were used for the first time in South Tyrol as part of the project "Experimental Supply to the Province's Huts - Summer 2025", to supply distant huts that are not accessible to the road network. A traditional helicopter flight of 10 minutes — as noted in the project’s presentation — costs about €950 and produces 79 kg of CO₂. With drones, these emissions are completely eliminated. In the summer of 2025, flights were operated to serve several Province-owned refuges, including Borletti, Payer, Vedretta Pendente, and Forcella di Vallaga. These flights reached altitudes above 3,000 meters and carried loads between 90–120 kg/h, for a total of around 1,000 kg of goods delivered. Drones transported food items including eggs, milk, bread, and apple juice, as well as heavy and bulky things like fire extinguishers, beer kegs, wood briquettes, and oil. Each trip was accomplished in a single day, with flights ranging from 2 hours and 40 minutes to slightly under 5 hours, demonstrating the system's technological and logistical practicality. Drone flights emit no CO₂ and cost substantially less than helicopter flights, resulting in environmental savings similar to the annual CO₂ absorption of 400–630 trees. Furthermore, they enable more flexible and frequent delivery in small quantities, which are perfect for fresh products, while lowering noise and operating risks.
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