Amazon Prime Air Drone Delivery Service Set to Launch in Northern England

In a significant move towards revolutionising the e-commerce delivery landscape, Amazon is seeking regulatory approval to launch its drone delivery service from its Darlington warehouse in County Durham. The technology giant’s ambitious plans include establishing a dedicated team for same-day drone deliveries under its Prime Air service, pending clearance from both the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and local council.

The service promises deliveries within a 7.5-mile radius of the warehouse, although certain areas deemed unsuitable for drone operations will be excluded. Prospective customers must undergo a property assessment by Amazon representatives to ensure their premises have adequate space for drone deliveries. The delivery process involves customers placing a lightweight landing pad in their yard or garden, which serves as a target for the drone’s package drop.

These battery-operated drones boast a carrying capacity of up to 2.3kg per package. The programme’s expansion follows Amazon’s successful acquisition of CAA approval last August for testing drone flights beyond visual line of sight at an undisclosed UK location. Despite earlier ambitions to launch UK and Italian operations by 2024, the rollout has experienced delays.

Prime Air currently operates in select locations including College Station, Texas; Tolleson, Arizona; and San Salvo, Italy. However, operations across these sites have been temporarily suspended following two drone crashes in Oregon during December, attributed to software malfunctions during light rain conditions. Amazon is implementing software updates, though maintains the incidents were not the primary reason for the service pause.

The UK’s drone delivery landscape is becoming increasingly competitive, with Royal Mail leading the charge through its established commercial drone mail service in Orkney. Additionally, BT has invested £5 million in developing a “drone superhighway” across southern and central England, demonstrating the growing interest in commercial drone applications.

While Amazon remains tight-lipped about specific launch dates for the Darlington operation, the company expressed optimism about bringing drone delivery to UK customers, emphasising their track record of building safe and reliable drone delivery services globally in collaboration with regulators and local communities.