Dronamics and Qatar Airways Cargo sign ‘world first’ interline agreement

Svilen Rangelov and Elizabeth Oudkerk shake hands after signing the interline agreement between the two airlines.

Dronamics has signed an interline agreement with Qatar Airways Cargo, thought to be the first of its kind between a cargo drone and international airline. 

Through the agreement, Dronamics can offer cargo services from any of its droneports, initially in Greece, to the wider Qatar Airways Cargo network — including destinations such as Singapore, China, including Hong Kong, and the US. Whilst Qatar Airways Cargo is now able to access remote locations that Dronamics serves, such as the Greek islands.

Dronamics clients can now make a single booking to transport goods from a Dronamics droneport to any destination that the interline joint network covers, and vice versa.

‘’We’re very excited to have the world’s largest air cargo carrier as our partner for the first-of-its-kind interline agreement with our category-defining cargo drone airline,” said Svilen Rangelov, co-founder and CEO of Dronamics. 

“While currently less than 1% of global trade moves by air, the vast global reach of Qatar Airways Cargo and their world-leading capacity and service give us the perfect platform to massively expand air cargo accessibility to countless more communities worldwide, enabling same-day delivery for everyone, everywhere,” added Rangelov.

Elisabeth Oudkerk, SVP Cargo Sales & Network Planning at Qatar Airways Cargo said the agreement fell in line with the firm’s VISION 2027 5-year strategy. “We are committed to remaining at the forefront of our industry by embracing new disruptive technology. It is also within our DNA to support young ambitious companies like Dronamics and we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this exciting business. 

“It is a significant milestone in the advancement of autonomous cargo drone transportation and we are proud to be the first international airline to offer this service,” she added.

Dronamics is expected to begin commercial operations in Greece early next year, focusing on establishing a same day service connecting Athens with the industrial north area of the country, as well as the islands in the south.