Russian Post’s experiment in drone package delivery will be extended for three years

The corresponding bill is now in the coordination phase with the interested federal executive authorities. The department expects the document to be presented to the government by the end of February.

The EPR for Russian Post has been in force since April 2022 in Kamchatka, Chukotka, Khanty-Mansiysk and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. EPR is needed to deliver mail and cargo, as well as perform aerial drone work, including package delivery in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

Currently, more than 22 organizations participate in the postal operator’s tests. These include development companies, drone operators and universities, including the Ural Civil Aviation Plant, Aeromax, Radar MMS, Russian Helicopters and Gazprom Neft Supply.

During the experiment, Russian Post tested several new models of drones for delivering goods, said Vladimir Voloshin, director of the department of digital development and data economy at the Ministry of Energy, in an interview with Vedomosti. He noted that the department plans to expand the experiment, as “heavy” drone services are in demand.

In October, RBC wrote that the delivery of goods by drones of the Russian Post so far costs more than 150 times more than on a regular manned flight. For example, transporting a parcel weighing 1 kg on the route from the village of Tazovsky to the village of Antipayuta in the Arctic costs 13.6 thousand rubles, reports the head of the transport management directorate of the Russian Post, Georgy Bautin.