4 km in under 10 mins: How drones help beat Bengaluru traffic to transport lab samples

Narayana Health and aerial firm Airbound have completed a landmark 54-day pilot in Bengaluru, using drones to transport medical samples from Chandapura to Electronic City.

A Bengaluru-based healthcare service provider and aerial logistics firm have joined hands to use drones to deliver vital samples to laboratories, beating Bengaluru traffic .

Narayana Health and Airbound have completed a medical logistics pilot connecting Narayana Health’s Chandapura clinic to its central laboratory at Narayana Health City in Electronic City by air, demonstrating how aerial logistics can dramatically improve the speed and reliability of diagnostic transport across urban healthcare networks.

According to Airbound, the 4-km aerial route is completed in just 10 minutes, compared to significantly longer road transfers, depending on Bengaluru ’s traffic conditions.

Over the course of the pilot, the route completed more than 700 flights across 54 consecutive operational days, carrying up to 40 diagnostic samples per flight with zero failed deliveries, demonstrating the reliability of drone-based logistics in a live clinical environment.

Before the pilot, diagnostic samples from the Chandapura clinic were transported to the central laboratory in three to four road transfers per day, with arrival times varying depending on traffic conditions.

The aerial route now operates on demand and on schedule with up to 20 flights per day, allowing laboratories to receive samples continuously rather than in fixed batches.

Within three weeks of operations, Narayana Health removed the road transfer entirely, making the aerial route the sole transport link between the two facilities.

This allows the laboratory to begin processing sooner, helping doctors receive results faster and improving diagnostic turnaround times for patients.

Commenting on the collaboration, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, founder and chairman, Narayana Health, said, “The standardisation of drone transport for blood samples and life-saving blood bags will be a true game-changer, allowing for medical interventions at remarkable speeds.”
“Redefining Efficiency through centralisation of essential services – such as clinical laboratories and blood banks – presents a massive opportunity to lower the cost of diagnostics and transfusions.

Historically, however, the twin obstacles of transportation time and logistical expenses have hindered this transition.”
Naman Pushp, founder and CEO of Airbound, added, “Completing 700+ flights across 54 days can only happen with two teams fully committed to the mission, and I am proud of what both teams have achieved.

This pilot demonstrated that frequent, predictable aerial logistics is not a future concept but is already in operation in one of India’s busiest cities.

Conventional logistics is primed for change.

Our ambition is to build a new layer of infrastructure for commercial freight, and when that change comes, distance stops being a barrier to opportunity.”
Following the success, Narayana Health is now preparing to scale these services at its upcoming hospital in Banashankari, scheduled for inauguration in the coming months.

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