Food deliveries to remote islands of Sweden, Norway and Finland are often met with some challenges, and a hot meal at residents' doors is near impossible.
To tackle the issue, Norwegian start-up Aviant is aiming to establish the region's first food delivery service by drone, starting its operation on the Swedish island of Värmdö.
Since February, residents of Gustavsberg, the main town on Värmdö, and surrounding areas have been able to order freshly made burgers from Bastard Burgers directly to their door via drone, using Aviant's technology.
The cost of delivery is comparable to that of a car or bike service, as drones take out the cost of the driver.
At the moment Aviant is in a "beta phase," with only 10 items delivered per week, as they work to make the programme more efficient.
Aviant has identified around 40 bases across Scandinavia to which the operation can be expanded to over next two years.
Furthermore, the company sees similar geography in Canada, which has over 52,000 islands, and the north eastern region of the US, characterised by lakes, mountains and islands.
Meanwhile, in 2022, UK firm Skyports delivered school meals to children in the Orkney Islands, funded by Argyll and Bute Council, and temporarily ran a "fish and chip Fridays" delivery service to the wider community.
Similarly, German firm Wingcopter delivered everyday goods to rural residents in 2023 as part of a government partnership.
In China's eastern Zhejiang province, a local council is funding drone delivery of hot meals to elderly villagers isolated in the mountains.
