In Helsinki, the sky over a quiet autumn city is becoming a testbed for a new kind of courier: a drone that can fly beyond the line of sight to move essential medical supplies. The pilot leverages a BVLOS permit to explore how urban air transport might complement ground networks in everyday operations and crisis scenarios alike. This is not a one-off demo; it’s a structured push to see whether air can bypass urban congestion and expedite critical deliveries when every minute counts.

The effort is part of the CITYAM project coordinated by Forum Virium Helsinki, with city authorities and partner organizations testing long-distance, regular drone legs that could one day scale beyond niche applications. The trial covers a roughly seven-kilometre route from Kyläsaari to the Laajasalo healthcare station, a route chosen to stress-test urban air corridors without compromising safety.

TechAU reports the flights operate with a fixed-wing drone designed for light cargo. The aircraft, which carries up to three kilograms of cargo, flies at a modest altitude of 60 to 100 metres. The operator behind these missions is Aviant, a Norwegian company that already runs similar services across Nordic countries. The choice of fixed-wing design helps with efficiency on longer urban hops and reduces the need for frequent takeoffs and landings, which can slow urban logistics in busy areas.

Safety and regulatory compliance are central to the program. The flights run BVLOS under a strict permit granted by Traficom, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency. Although the flights are managed remotely from Oslo by Aviant, Helsinki ground staff supervise each mission, ensuring cargo is prepped and ready for launch. This human-in-the-loop approach helps mitigate operational risks and provides a practical model for future city-wide pilots.

Forum Virium Helsinki and its partners emphasize that the aim is not merely to prove a technical possibility but to extract concrete lessons for integrating drones into city logistics. As Ari Lallo, Acting Head of Transport and Logistics for the Social, Health, and Rescue Services Sector, puts it, the experiment seeks to build guidelines that anticipate disruption and enable agile responses in health and rescue operations. The project’s broader goal is to map the real-world constraints of urban BVLOS drone delivery and translate those findings into scalable policies and procedures.

From a policy and practical standpoint, theCITYAM initiative signals a broader shift in how cities are thinking about delivery infrastructure. Rather than relying solely on roads and trucks, urban planners are examining how air could relieve bottlenecks in peak periods, during public health campaigns, or in disaster scenarios where ground access is limited. For defense planners and civil authorities watching from the wings, the Helsinki trial offers a blueprint for balancing innovation with robust safety, data sharing, and interoperability across international operators.

In Helsinki’s case, the emphasis on medical supplies — a category that includes masks, gloves, and disinfectant — highlights a core use case: rapid, routine replenishment and emergency stock movement in dense urban environments. If successful, the program could pave the way for broader medical logistics applications, from routine inventory transfers to time-critical, high-value shipments that require traceability and secure handling. The implications extend beyond health care; resilient city services, disaster response, and even emergency logistics for public safety could benefit from a validated BVLOS framework for urban air mobility.

What This Means for Urban Logistics

Urban drone pilots like Helsinki’s CITYAM project are pushing the envelope on how cities manage time-sensitive goods. If BVLOS drone delivery proves reliable and scalable, municipal logistics could become more flexible, complementary to road networks rather than a direct replacement. For hospitals and clinics, a dependable air channel could reduce ground traffic, cut transit times, and improve stock visibility across facilities. For policymakers, the Helsinki pilot offers a testbed to refine: airspace rules, cross-border coordination, remote operations, and public-facing safety assurances necessary for broader adoption.

Operational and Competitive Context

The involvement of Aviant, a Nordic operator with existing regional experience, signals a trend toward cross-border collaboration in Europe’s urban air mobility programs. The fixed-wing design chosen for these missions reflects a pragmatic balance between range and payload, illustrating how different drone configurations are chosen to optimize specific city routes. On the policy side, Traficom’s BVLOS permit framework demonstrates that real-world pilots can be conducted with strict oversight while still offering meaningful operational data for future guidance.

From a user perspective, the project is a clear signal that advanced drone logistics can fit into essential public services. For defense and civil protection agencies, the Helsinki results could inform future contingency plans, where rapid, reliable delivery of medical or emergency supplies becomes part of a city’s resilience toolkit. For industry observers, this is a concrete indicator that urban BVLOS operations are moving from controlled trials to near-term deployment scenarios in select city corridors.

Conclusion

Helsinki’s BVLOS drone delivery trials are more than a technical showcase. They are a deliberate step toward rethinking city logistics, where air transportation could complement ground networks to improve efficiency, resilience, and access to critical medical supplies. While there are still hurdles — regulatory alignment, public acceptance, and scaling challenges — the CITYAM project provides a practical, measurable path forward. If the lessons from Helsinki translate into scalable standards, other Nordic capitals and European cities will likely follow, accelerating a new chapter in urban air mobility.

FAQ

Q: What is BVLOS?
A: BVLOS stands for Beyond Visual Line of Sight, meaning the drone operates outside the direct line of sight of the pilot, under regulatory authorization.

Q: What are the payload limits?
A: The Helsinki flights carry up to about 3 kilograms of cargo per mission.

Q: Who manages the flights?
The operator is Aviant, with remote management from Oslo and on-site Helsinki ground staff for safety and prep.