Amazon to Test Delivery Drones in the UK This Year

Amazon could be delivering packages by drone in the United Kingdom by the end of this year.

The online retailing giant has been selected by the U.K.’s airspace regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to take part in a trial of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights.

This means that operators do not have to retain sight of the drone as they fly them.

The trial opens the door for Amazon’s Prime Air service – which aims to deliver small packages within an hour of being ordered – to start operating later this year.

The CAA says the purpose of the trials is to gather key safety data, including how drones detect and avoid other aircraft, by monitoring the electronic signals they send to be visible to other airspace users and air traffic control.

Ultimately, it is hoped the trial can help inform the development of future policies and regulations to allow drones to be integrated fully with other airspace users.

It is not yet clear where and when the trial of the Amazon delivery service will get under way in the U.K., but when initial plans were announced last year, the company suggested it would be in a “lightly populated suburban area,” probably within around 7 miles of one of its fulfillment centers.

At the time, the vice-president of Amazon Prime Air, David Carbon, told the BBC that the service would be “absolutely safe” and explained how it would work.

Related:Amazon Expanding Drone Deliveries to Italy, UK

“What our customers will do is jump on to the Amazon website, they’ll select drone delivery if it’s available in their area, they’ll order their product....and that will then set off the chain of events that goes to our ground system that finds the customer’s yard, drops [the] package off where they asked it, and we’re out of there,” he said: 

Amazon’s MK30 drone can carry packages that weigh up to 4.8 pounds and can operate in poor weather conditions, including light rain. 

The company already has experience with drone deliveries in the United States, providing the service in California and Texas. Earlier this year it confirmed plans to expand to Arizona. 

Alongside Amazon’s consumer deliveries, other participants in the U.K. trial include Airspection (drone inspections of offshore wind farms); the National Police Air Service (exploration of uncrewed aircraft in policing); NATS (North Sea inspections); Project Lifeline (medical deliveries) and Project SATE (examination of how drones and aircraft can co-exist at Orkney Airport).

“These innovative trials mark a significant step forward in integrating drones safely into U.K. airspace,” said Sophie O’Sullivan, director of future of flight at the CAA. 

Related:Amazon Ends California Drone Deliveries, Expands to Arizona

“Our goal is to make drone operations beyond visual line of sight a safe and everyday reality, contributing to the modernization of U.K. airspace and the incorporation of new technology into our skies.”