Alphabet’s Wing drone delivery business to take flight in Finland

This undated image provided by Google shows a Project Wing drone vehicle during delivery. Google's secretive research laboratory is trying to build a fleet of drones designed to bypass earthbound traffic so packages can be delivered to people more quickly. The ambitious program announced Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, escalates Google's technological arms race with rival Amazon.com Inc., which also is experimenting with self-flying vehicles to carry merchandise bought by customers of its online store. (AP Photo/Google)

Google parent Alphabet Inc's drone delivery business Wing will launch its first European delivery service in Finland in the spring of 2019, it said in a statement on Dec 4. 

Wing was spun out of Alphabet's X research division in July to become an independent company within Alphabet and is led by James Ryan Burgess. 

Wing said it has spent the last 18 months testing drone delivery in south-eastern Australia, partnering with local businesses to deliver a range of food and drinks, medicine and household items. 

It is part of Alphabet's Other Bets division, which already comprises cyber-security company Chronicle, self-driving car project Waymo, Loon that makes internet-delivery balloons and life sciences division Verily. – Reuters