Amazon gets green light to test-fly delivery drones in UK in retail giant's latest bid to land their goods right at your door
Amazon has been given the go ahead to test-fly delivery drones beyond the visual range of a human operator in the UK.
The e-commerce giant is edging ever closer to being able to fly your deliveries right to your doorstep in under an hour, as trials continue.
Amazon is currently one of six companies involved in projects headed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), aiming to finalise regulations for wider drone use.
Trials involving the other five companies include air traffic control, policing and delivering emergency medical supplies and inspecting offshore windfarms.
Kirkwall airport in the Orkney islands - one of the establishments taking part - will be testing how drones and aircrafts can operate safely and harmoniously.
Amazon has been given the green light to test-fly delivery drones beyond the visual range of a human operator in the UK (pictured: an Amazon drone)
The e-commerce giant hopes to eventually be able to deliver packages to customers in under an hour with new technology(pictured: guests at Amazon's Delivering the Future explore the MK30)
This comes after the technology giant said in 2023 the service would begin from one of its UK same-day delivery sites this year.
The rollout is said to be part of an expansion of drone deliveries, which will also see it be introduced in Italy.
Drone deliveries are already operating in Lockeford, California and College Station, Texas.
The CAA has revealed the ongoing trials will use 'advanced technologies' to carry out tasks such as navigation and detecting other aircrafts, as it seeks to finalise regulations for the expanded use of drones.
During these tests, key safety data detailing how drones sense and dodge other aircrafts as well as their communication with air traffic control, will be collected.
They will also document how drones emit electronic signals to identify themselves to others in the sky.
Sophie O'Sullivan, director of future of flight at the CAA, told the Guardian: 'These innovative trials mark a significant step forward in integrating drones safely into UK airspace.
'By supporting projects ranging from consumer deliveries to critical infrastructure inspections, we are gathering essential data to shape future policies and regulations.
Drone deliveries are already operating in Lockeford, California and College Station Texas
The trails led by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) hopes finalise regulations for the expanded use of drones (pictured/l engineers working on an Amazon drone)
'Our goal is to make drone operations beyond visual line of sight a safe and everyday reality, contributing to the modernisation of UK airspace and the incorporation of new technology into our skies.'
David Carbon, the vice-president and general manager of Prime Air, added: 'It's crucial for operators like us to have clear regulatory requirements in order to bring and scale new technologies, such as drone delivery, to customers in the UK.
'We appreciate the CAA's effort to partner with us to help bring clarity to the regulations that support commercial drone delivery.'
Amazon previously ran a short trial of an earlier version of the Prime Air drone delivery system in Cambridgeshire in 2016 but later pulled back on the UK division in 2021.
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