Norwegian start-up Aviant to pilot drone food deliveries on Swedish island Värmdö

A Norwegian start-up, Aviant, plans to pilot a food delivery service by drone on the Swedish island of Värmdö, aiming to bring hot meals to residents and seasonal visitors who have limited access to conventional delivery services.

Aviant told reporters it is seeking to establish the region's first dedicated drone-based food delivery network, beginning with Värmdö, an island about eight miles (13 kilometres) from central Stockholm. The island is served by roads, buses and ferries, but its year-round population of roughly 46,000 — which can swell to as many as 100,000 in the summer — has relatively few options for receiving hot food on demand. Aviant said it has been working with Foodora and a burger chain to test the model.

The company sees the archipelago's geography as a use case for drones: short over-water hops can bypass road congestion and ferry schedules to deliver meals more quickly and directly to homes and cottages. During a video call, Aviant co-founder and chief executive Lars Erik Fagernæs showed maps of islands near Stockholm as part of the firm's planning work.

Aviant describes the Värmdö pilot as a response to a service gap between urban areas, where app-based hot-food delivery is common, and outlying islands, where such services are scarce. The firm is positioning drones as a way to extend on-demand delivery economics to lower-density areas where conventional delivery routes are less efficient.

Drone food delivery trials elsewhere have faced technical, safety and regulatory hurdles, and Aviant acknowledged operational challenges associated with weather, payload temperature control and airspace coordination. The company said it is working with partners and local authorities to address landing zones, flight corridors and customer hand-off procedures. Aviant did not give firm dates for when regular commercial service might begin on Värmdö.

Advocates of aerial delivery note potential benefits for communities with limited road connections, including reduced delivery times and more consistent service during peak seasonal demand. Critics and regulators have highlighted the need to manage risks tied to unmanned aircraft operating in populated or recreational areas, citing concerns about noise, privacy and the possibility of accidents.

Aviant's public comments echo a broader trend of start-ups and established logistics firms exploring drones for last-mile delivery of parcels, medical supplies and consumer goods. Pilot projects in multiple countries have demonstrated technical feasibility for short-range routes, but widespread adoption has generally depended on local aviation rules, certification of vehicles and public acceptance.

For Värmdö residents, the proposed service could mean access to hot meals even when traditional couriers are limited by ferry timetables or road congestion. Aviant said early tests with Foodora and a fast-food partner have focused on routing, packaging and thermal containment to ensure meals arrive in acceptable condition.

Local officials and regulators will review safety plans and airspace coordination before approving any routine flights, and Aviant said it would comply with Swedish and European aviation regulations as it develops operations. The company described the pilot as part of a stepwise approach to demonstrating reliability and safety before scaling to other islands in the archipelago.

If successful, Aviant's pilot could offer a model for expanding on-demand services to other low-density and island communities where geographic barriers make conventional delivery costly or slow. The company said it hopes lessons from Värmdö will inform technology, logistics and regulatory frameworks for similar routes elsewhere.