26
perfect solution, since it not only eliminated the need for expensive
infrastructure to be in place for movement but also drastically cut
down delivery times.
With its track record of success in drone delivery in Chi-
na, JD expanded its drone operations to Indonesia in January
2019. One of the company’s first drone delivery projects there
was to transport a 22-pound (10 kg) package of books and
backpacks about 155 miles (250 km) to students at a primary
school in a village near Bandung, the country’s fourth-largest
city. If not for the drone, the items would have been delivered
by truck over rugged roads, a slow, time-consuming, and ex-
pensive process.
It was Indonesia’s first government-approved drone flight and
represented a breakthrough for drone delivery in Southeast Asia.
The success of this program bodes well for other countries in the
region. “We have been using drones for real deliveries in China
for over two years now, and have seen the profound impact this
technology can have on people’s lives,”
10
says Jon Liao, chief
strategy officer at JD.
Alibaba Develops a Program
While JD dominated drone delivery in China and Indonesia, its
chief e-commerce rival in the East, Alibaba, was slower to enter
the market. Alibaba initially relied on partners to make deliveries,
but then partnered with Beihang Unmanned Aircraft System to
develop its own cargo drones. One model that was being worked
on by the drone company was capable of carrying 1 ton (907 kg)
of goods more than 932 miles (1,500 km).
In October 2017 Alibaba used drones to deliver packages
over a body of water for the first time. Three drones carrying
six boxes of passion fruit with a combined weight of around
26 pounds (12 kg) flew from Fujian Province in eastern China
to nearby Meizhou Island. Flying into a strong wind, the drones
took nine minutes to make the 3-mile (5 km) crossing. Zeng
Jinmei, an online store owner based on the island, said that the
