Bengaluru-based drone marketplace Xboom plans to open an office in Calcutta as part of its expansion plan to diversify both in India and overseas. The company also hopes to double its rate of growth by FY26.

“Hopefully in another one quarter we will be having an office in Calcutta. The city is the gateway to the eastern region and we are expecting potential to grow both in Bengal and in the east and north east. We already have some clients in Guwahati and they can also be serviced through the branch office,” said Vishal Saurav, founder and CEO, Xboom.

Besides Bengal, the company plans to expand its presence in Hyderabad and Maharashtra within the next six months. The company, which has started export of drones, is also looking to have a presence in Dubai.

Founded in 2015, the company currently offers drones as well as allied services including skilled pilots to various industries such as construction, mining, surveying, logistics and manufacturing.

The company’s average sales are around 80 drones per month, which is expected to grow with the geographical expansion.

“We have seen a 15 per cent growth in FY24 and by FY26, we hope to grow by around 30-35 per cent. Though we are already serving pan India, we are also expanding to various cities to get more local customers as well as government orders,” said Saurav.

However, the homegrown manufacturing of drones in India is still to take off with the majority of the components being imported and then the units assembled in the country.

On the regulatory side, there is also a need for interventions from the government and DGCA to provide more clarity around beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations.

“There is a need for government support in terms of development of the overall drone manufacturing ecosystem in the country including manufacturing of components. Also, once there is
more clarity around BVLOS operations, that would open up significant opportunities for use of drones, including in the logistics sector,” Saurav said.