Amazon making drone delivery a reality in the UK

Yesterday Amazon announced that it has teamed up with the UK Government to determine just how to make drone deliveries possible. The UK Government will allow the company to test new delivery system methods.

Thanks to the partnership, Amazon will now be allowed to test beyond line of sight operations in rural and suburban areas, sensor performance to ensure drones can identify and avoid obstacles, and flights where one person operates multiple highly-automated drones.

“The UK is a leader in enabling drone innovation – we’ve been investing in Prime Air research and development here for quite some time,” said Paul Misener, Amazon’s Vice President of Global Innovation Policy and Communications. “This announcement strengthens our partnership with the UK and brings Amazon closer to our goal of using drones to safely deliver parcels in 30 minutes to customers in the UK and elsewhere around the world.”

This work will help Amazon and the Government figure out the safest and most reliable ways to launch parcel delivery by small drones, as well as identify the operating rules and safety regulations that will be need to be in place to help move the drone industry forward.

“Using small drones for the delivery of parcels will improve customer experience, create new jobs in a rapidly growing industry, and pioneer new sustainable delivery methods to meet future demand,” said Misener. “The UK is charting a path forward for drone technology that will benefit consumers, industry and society.”

The UK’s aviation safety regulator, the CAA, will be involved in the tests and will work to explore the potential for safe use of drones beyond line of sight. Future policies and regulations will hinge on these trial outcomes.

“We want to enable the innovation that arises from the development of drone technology by safely integrating drones into the overall aviation system,” said Tim Johnson, CAA Policy Director. “These tests by Amazon will help inform our policy and future approach.”