The UK's first drone-delivered mail took place in Orkney.
Royal Mail and drone company Skyports have initiated the Orkney I-Port project to facilitate the transportation of letters and parcels between the Orkney Isles.
In collaboration with the harbour authority of the council and Loganair, postal items from Royal Mail's Kirkwall delivery facility will be transferred to Stromness.
Utilizing drones, items will be transported to Graemsay and Hoy, after which postal personnel will finish the delivery process.
At the start, the service will run for three months but with the singular topography of Orkney and the islands being close to one another, it is possible for the service to continue on a perpetual basis given the already existing regulatory frameworks.
It is anticipated that the use of a drone service will greatly increase service levels and reduce delivery times to Graemsay and Hoy, given the havoc that bad weather and the terrain can play on delivery services.
Electric drones will bring about significant safety advancements when it comes to inter-island delivery by allowing postal personnel to deliver between ports in a secure manner.
Skyports will operate inter-island flights with the Speedbird Aero DLV-2 aircraft. This multirotor drone is able to transport loads of up to six kilograms (1st).
The Department for Transport’s Freight Innovation Fund has fostered the project, which has been executed by the Connected Places Catapult.
Mr. Paxton, who is responsible for overseeing the drone trials at Royal Mail, expressed pride in their partnership with Skyports to deliver to distant locations in the United Kingdom.
"Royal Mail is upholding its ambition to minimise emissions from its operations through the utilisation of a completely electric drone to link the island communities we serve."
Alex Brown, director of Skyports Drone Services, stated that through the use of drone technology, they are transforming mail services in remote areas by allowing for quicker and more accurate delivery and decreasing the requirement for motorised vehicles that emit emissions.
We are delighted to collaborate with Royal Mail once more in order to show how drones can be advantageous to UK logistics through this endeavour.
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