Healthcare drone deliveries in Helsinki
In Helsinki, transport flights are being flown for a period of two weeks in early November 2025 between Kyläsaari and the Laajasalo healthcare station.
Drone flights will be flown for two weeks on weekdays in early November from Kyläsaari to the Laajasalo healthcare station. The flight distance is seven kilometers. The flights are related to preparedness for exceptional situations.
Where and When?
A pilot is being conducted between Laajasalo and Kyläsaari to see how drones function as carriers of healthcare supplies. The seven-kilometer route is estimated to be flown several times a day every weekday between October 29 and November 7. Bad weather may affect flight times. If flying days are missed, the piloting period will be extended. In any case, the flights will end by November 14, 2025, at the latest.
Why?
The idea of the pilot is to determine whether drones could serve as a means of transport between warehouses, hospitals, healthcare centers, and service houses, for example in exceptional and crisis situations. During the piloting phase, the cargo includes items such as rubber gloves, masks, and disinfectant.
What kind of drone is it?
The transport drone being tested is small in size, with a width of 2.6 meters. It can carry a maximum of three kilograms of cargo at a time. The flights take place during the daytime at an altitude of approximately 60–100 meters above ground level. The flights are conducted with an official permit from the Finnish Civil Aviation Authority (Traficom) after a thorough risk assessment. They are piloted from Oslo but there is also a ground staff member in Helsinki making sure the drone is ready to fly.
Project Partners
The project is a collaboration between the City of Helsinki’s Construction Services Stara, the City of Helsinki’s Social Services, Health Care and Rescue Services Division’s transport services, and Helsinki’s innovation company Forum Virium Helsinki.
The flights are carried out as part of the international, European Union-funded CITYAM project, and they are flown by the Norwegian company Aviant. Traficom has granted the necessary permits for the flights. CITYAM supports cities in the sustainable and responsible deployment of drones with the support of Interreg Baltic Sea Region (2023–2025).
Tell us your opinion on the flights
We value your opinion! Did you hear or see the white (yellow in the picture) drone flying in or around Laajasalo? How did you feel? What do you generally think about the use of drones in the transport of first aid products? Tell us! (The survey is open from Oct 29.)
Read more: Q&A on drones
More Information
If you have questions or concerns, please contact us by email at cityam@forumvirium.fi.
Photo credit: Otto Johnsen
The CITYAM project aims to support and empower cities in facilitating a wider-scale deployment of drones in the most responsible, acceptable and sustainable way with the support of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region (2023-2025).
