Amazon has announced that drone delivery service Prime Air will take off in the UK from its fulfilment centre in Darlington.
A precise date for the launch remains TBC as Amazon awaits as Amazon awaits planning permission from the local authority to build its flight operations facilities at the site, as well as authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to fly drones in the airspace. Once those agreements are in place, Amazon says it will begin hiring team members to launch drone delivery.
Since launching in 2022 in the US Amazon safely delivered thousands of packages to customers in 60 minutes or less using a fleet of electric drones designed, built, and operated by Amazon. In 2023, Amazon announced its plans to launch drone deliveries in the UK through Prime Air.
READ MORE: Meta doing a Twitter? Zuckerberg new Musk? Industry reacts
Amazon added in a statement: “We’ll continue to work closely with the CAA as they develop the regulatory framework to make commercial drone delivery a reality in the UK. In the meantime, we will also engage with the Darlington community to answer questions and collect feedback as we seek to offer this new delivery option.”
The goal of Amazon Prime Air is to enhance the efficiency of last-mile delivery, which is often the most challenging and costly part of the shipping process. Its drones are equipped with advanced navigation systems, sensors, and cameras to safely navigate urban and suburban environments and can carry packages weighing up to five pounds, which covers a significant portion of the items sold on Amazon.
The drones are intended to operate autonomously, using GPS and other technologies to find the most efficient routes to their destinations. Once they arrive at the delivery location, the drones lower packages to the ground using a winch system, ensuring that they are delivered safely and securely.
In addition to the United States, Amazon has been exploring drone delivery in several other countries, and has to date carried out pilot schemes in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, primarily in rural areas where the logistics of delivery can be more challenging.
Once the Darlington-based service is live, customers within the service area will be able to order items directly from the Amazon app or website.
