Qatar Airways Cargo + Dronamics ink interline agreement:Qatar Airways Cargo has signed an interline agreement with Bulgarian autonomous aviation startup Dronamics, the first such agreement between an international airline and a cargo drone airline, according to a press release.

The agreement will give each airline access to more destinations: The agreement, which will extend both sides' delivery networks, will enable Dronamics to offer cargo services from any of its droneports, beginning with Greece to Qatar Airways Cargo destinations, including Singapore, China, Hong Kong, JFK in the US. Qatar Airways Cargo will also be able to access remote locations, such as Greek islands, via Dronamics’ network.

The details: The agreement allows Dronamics’ customers to make a single booking to transport goods from a Dronamics droneport to a destination covered by the interline network agreement, and vice versa. The added flexibility will enable the flow of goods including pharma, food, e-commerce, mail, parcels, and spare parts to destinations that are not adequately covered by existing air freight services, the statement said.

About Dronamics: Dronamics styles itself as “the world’s first cargo drone airline,” according to its website. It is expected to kick off commercial operations early next year, with a same-day service connecting Athens with industrial hubs in the north of Greece and islands in the south, a separate statement said. The outfit’s flagship Black Swan aircraft can carry some 350kg at a distance of up to 2.5 km.

Dronamics has been making waves in the region: The company recently inked a terms sheet with the UAE’s Strategic Development Fund to form a JV to manufacture 300 of its flagship Black Swan cargo drones by 2025. It also signed a letter of intent with Aramex to provide it with drones for same-day middle-mile and long-range deliveries, in addition to another letter of intent with Emirates Post Group to establish a cargo drone delivery network in the UAE and GCC.

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