Amazon is in the process of making drones a viable delivery solution for its UK customers.
The retailer’s drone delivery service Prime Air is taking steps to start planning for initial flights from its warehouse in Darlington.
An Amazon spokesperson emphasised that they are very early in the process with a lot of work to be done with the local authority, the local community and the Civil Aviation Authority.
They added that those in the local area get a chance to “have a say and learn about the plans”, and will say more about timings of potential flights once they collect feedback from the community.
In October 2023, it was announced that drone trials in the UK would be introduced following drone deliveries taking off in the US. The drones can carry small parcels weighing less than five pounds with deliveries made in 60 minutes or less.
An Amazon spokesperson said the retailer is “excited to make drone delivery a reality” for its UK customers.
“While there is still much work to do, this is an exciting step forward. A planning application will be lodged with the local authority, which will seek permission to build our flight operations facilities at the site, along with applying for authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority to fly a drone in the airspace.
“Once those agreements are in place, we will be able to begin hiring team members to launch drone delivery.
“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 option for delivery.”
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