NEXT DELIVERY receives approval to fly the newly established drone flight “Level 3.5″ and conducted its first flight in Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido on December 11 ～Significant accelerator for societal implementation of the new smart logistics～

NEXT DELIVERY Inc. (Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture; Representative Director: Keisuke Toji; hereinafter “NEXT DELIVERY”) received approval from Japan Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for the newly established Level 3.5*1 drone flight rule as of December 8, 2023, and will conduct Japan’s first drone delivery flight applying Level 3.5 flight on December 11 in Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido.
NEXT DELIVERY Inc. and its parent company, Aeronext Inc., as well as Seino Holdings Co., Ltd. are jointly developing new smart logistics*2 SkyHub®*3 that integrates drone delivery and land transportation to address regional issues throughout Japan and is already in the societal implementation phase in nine municipalities*4 nationwide, including Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido. Beginning with this flight, we will sequentially launch Level 3.5 flights in these municipalities as well, to accelerate the speed of societal implementation.

【Implementation Outline】
 Date: Monday, December 11, 2023
 Location: Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido
 Delivery Details and Route
1. Food delivery between Kamishihoro Share Office and Hamburg&Steak tobachi restaurant
2. Delivery of newspapers to Kamishihoro Share Office and private homes
See below for details.
 Aircraft Used: AirTruck*5
 Implementation: NEXT DELIVERY Inc.
 With cooperation from：
Aeronext Inc.
Seino Holdings Co., Ltd.
Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido

【Flight Details】
1. Food delivery between Kamishihoro Share Office and Hamburg Steak Restaurant “Tobachi”

2. Delivery of newspapers to Kamishihoro Share Office and private homes

 Planned Flight Dates*: From December 11, 2023
 Items to be flown: Food, newspapers, and other items weighing 5.0 kg or less
 Flight Altitudes: 20m〜149m
 Flight Speeds: up to 36km/h

*Flights may be cancelled, cargo volumes and items changed, or flight adjustments made due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

Reference

*1 Level 3.5
Following instructions from the Prime Minister at the first meeting of the Council for Digital Administrative and Financial Reform held on October 11, intensive studies were conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism with the aim of commercializing drone-based goods delivery by the end of this year, and a policy such as establishing a new Level 3.5 flight by the end of this year was presented at the Startup and Investment Working Group of the Council for Promoting Regulatory Reform held on November 17, 2011. Level 3.5 flight means that the previous access control measures on the ground, such as the placement of assistants and signs, are eliminated through the use of digital technology (using onboard cameras to check for the presence of pedestrians, etc.), Further Level 3.5 adds requirements for the possession of an unmanned aircraft remote pilot certificate and insurance coverage facilitate flights that involve crossing roads, railroads, etc. This is a major move toward the commercialization of delivery by drone, as it will lead to reductions in operation costs and increased operational efficiency.

*2 New Smart Logistics
A public-private initiative to find solutions to the issues commonly faced by the logistics industry, such as labor shortages, environmental and energy issues, and DX areas, while utilizing digital and technology to ensure the future sustainability of logistics, which is an indispensable infrastructure for people’s daily lives. The project aims to realize the last mile joint delivery, the best mix of land and air transportation, freight and passenger consolidation, automated technology, etc., through co-creation based on an open public platform (O.P.P.) that transcends the boundaries between the industry and the outside world.

*3 SkyHub®︎
A new smart logistics platform jointly developed and deployed by Aeronext and Seino HD that connects existing land transportation and drone logistics, as well as connecting ground and air infrastructure to deliver goods anytime, anywhere. An open and standardized platform with built-in drone delivery, operating from Drone Depots®︎ and using cars and drones as delivery vehicles, and SkyHub®︎ TMS as the base for SkyHub®︎ Delivery (shopping service), SkyHub®︎ Eats (food delivery), SkyHub®︎ Medical (pharmaceutical delivery), as well as joint delivery of packages from different logistics companies in bulk, to develop and provide services tailored to local issues and needs. The introduction of SkyHub® not only has the logistics benefits of promoting unmanned and inventory-free operations and improving last mile delivery efficiency, but also introduces a new logistics infrastructure. Where the logistics industry facing the “2024 Logistics Problem,” SkyHub® will contribute to solving social issues in the region, such as transportation problems in specific depopulated areas, medical problems, disaster countermeasures, and measures for the vulnerable in logistics, SkyHub® will also contribute to address regional issues such as traffic problems in specific depopulated areas, medical problems, disaster countermeasures, and measures for the vulnerable in logistics, as well as raise the level of satisfaction of residents and communities by improving convenience and quality of life.

*4 Nine municipalities implementing new smart logistics SkyHub®
Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture; Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido; Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture; Sakai Town, Ibaraki Prefecture; Katsuura City, Chiba Prefecture; Hidakagawa Town, Wakayama Prefecture; Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture; and Sanagochison, Tokushima Prefecture; and Aga Town, Niigata Prefecture

*5 Dedicated Logistics Drone AirTruck
AirTruck, the first mass-produced logistics drone developed in Japan by Aeronext, a next-generation drone technology startup, in collaboration with ACSL, achieves stable flight with Aeronext’s proprietary 4D GRAVITY®*6 airframe structure design technology. The AirTruck is a dedicated logistics drone that goes “faster, farther, and is more stable” with enhanced for logistics, specialized for forward motion, and aerodynamic characteristics required for long-distance flight. AirTruck has flown in demonstration tests in various regions of Japan and has a top-class flight record in Japan and internationally, it has flown in Mongolia at an altitude of 1,300m and an outside temperature of -15°C (November 2023).

*6 Airframe structural design technology 4D GRAVITY®
Airframe structure design technology developed by Aeronext optimizes aerodynamic characteristics by equalizing motor speed regardless of attitude, condition, or movement during flight and controlling lift, drag, and fuselage center of gravity based on fuselage shape and structure to improve the basic performance of industrial drones, such as stability, efficiency, and mobility, and the transportation performance of drones dedicated to logistics. Aeronext has patented this technology and manages it as part of the 4D GRAVITY® patent portfolio. 4D GRAVITY® improves basic performance and opens up new markets and applications for industrial drones.

【About NEXT DELIVERY】
A subsidiary of Aeronext, a company mainly engaged in drone delivery, established in Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture in 2021 with the vision of “spreading affluence to every corner of the earth through 4D LogisticsTM infrastructure that connects air, land, and time in the age of 100 years of life.” The company is also involved in the development, manufacture, sale, rental, and maintenance of hardware and software related to drone delivery, and related peripheral businesses. Starting with Kosuge Village in Yamanashi Prefecture, we are working to improve the efficiency and revitalization of regional logistics in places such as Kamishihoro Town in Hokkaido and Tsuruga City in Fukui Prefecture.
*For more information: https://nextdelivery.aeronext.co.jp/

*Aeronext, the Aeronext logo, and NEXT DELIVERY, as well as “4D GRAVITY®” “SkyHub®“ are trademarks of Aeronext Inc.
*Other company names and product/service names mentioned in this press release are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.