Iaraeli company Tevel’s fruit-picking drone. Photo: Tevel Aerobotics Technologies.

CTech – Tel Aviv-based drone delivery startup Flytrex Aviation is expanding its operation into North Carolina. Flytrex received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin food deliveries by drone in the town of Holly Springs, North Carolina, the company announced earlier this month. While no official start date has been set, the first food delivery is expected to occur in the next few weeks, Yariv Bash, Flytrex CEO and co-founder, told Calcalist on Monday.

According to Bash, Flytrex’s drones will operate along one predetermined delivery route, connecting the Holly Springs Towne Center, a shopping center that contains 19 food establishments, with a single delivery point at Ting Park, a nearby outdoor sports and recreation hub. The drones will fly primarily over unpopulated areas.

Founded in 2013 by Bash and Amit Regev, Flytrex develops a cellular data communication module that can be attached to any drone, allowing operators to remotely control it using a mobile app. The company has raised $11.5 million to date and employs a team of 20 people, Bash said. In September, the company announced it would begin food deliveries at a golf course in North Dakota. Since 2017, Flytrex has been collaborating with online commerce company Aha.is in operating a drone groceries and food delivery system in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavík.

Bash is also a co-founder of Israeli non-profit organization SpaceIL, which set out to land the first Israeli spacecraft on the moon. Its spacecraft, Beresheet, crashed on the moon in April after attracting global attention during its two-month space voyage.