The company began operations in Rwanda in 2016 and now averages over 600 deliveries per day. While it initially focused on transporting blood, Zipline has expanded its services to include more than 200 types of medicines across 10 product categories.
Zipline operates drone distribution hubs in Muhanga District’s Shyogwe Sector and in Kayonza District. Nearly 35 percent of all deliveries consist of livestock vaccines, supporting both human and animal health services.
Each drone can carry between two and three kilograms, fly up to 160 kilometres, and operate for up to three hours on a single battery charge. The longest active route, between Muhanga and Mibilizi District Hospital in Rusizi District, takes less than 40 minutes.
Drone delivery is now fully integrated into Rwanda’s public healthcare system, serving more than 150 hospitals, health centres, and clinics. More than 600 primary healthcare facilities, representing about 50 percent of such clinics nationwide, are reachable by drone.
Health officials say the system has significantly improved emergency care, particularly for maternal health. Hospitals outside Kigali report that maternal deaths linked to blood shortages have fallen to nearly zero, as blood can now be delivered within minutes of being requested. The Minister of Health, Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, has publicly commended facilities such as Kaduha District Hospital for achieving zero maternal deaths related to delayed blood delivery.
Zipline Rwanda employs at least 250 people in technical and operational roles. In April 2025, the company reached the milestone of one million deliveries in Rwanda, eight years after launching operations. A second million deliveries was reached in a much shorter time, reflecting rapid growth.
Globally, Zipline operates 30 sites across four continents. A Zipline drone takes off every 50 seconds somewhere in the world, and the company has completed more than two million deliveries without any accident causing harm to human life. Its drones have flown a combined distance of about 193 million kilometres, serving more than 5,000 health facilities.
Following a recent USD 150 million investment supported by the United States Government, Zipline plans to expand further in Rwanda. A new distribution hub in Karongi District is expected to open in August 2026, serving 200 clinics and 60 major health facilities and reaching more than 2.8 million people.
Pierre Kayitana, Zipline Rwanda’s Country Director, said the expansion creates a single, integrated logistics system serving all Rwandans.
“Rwanda pioneered autonomous logistics for the world,” Kayitana said. “With the addition of a third hub and upcoming urban services in Kigali, Rwanda is creating a seamless national system that serves all citizens equally.”
The expansion is expected to enable nationwide coverage, serving Rwanda’s population of more than 14 million and creating up to 350 jobs. Zipline also plans to introduce urban drone delivery services in Kigali in 2027, including commercial deliveries using its next-generation Platform 2 (P2) drones, which were unveiled in Rwanda in 2025.
Officials say Rwanda’s early adoption of autonomous drone delivery has positioned the country as a global reference point for the technology, with systems tested locally now being deployed worldwide.
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