RETAIL giant Amazon is to begin an astonishing new era of drone deliveries.
The first UK trials will start soon to make Prime Air deliveries all around a 7.5mile area, all of which will take off and be guided from the 465,000 sq ft Amazon warehouse in Symmetry Park just outside Darlington.
Darlington was chosen because it has so many features such as housing density, major roads and the airport within the same tight area.
The MK30 drones will carry a number of items on each flight and drop them from its cargobay a few feet above a landing site.
A spokesperson for the global business said: “We are ready and excited to make drone delivery a reality for our UK customers. We have built safe and reliable drone delivery services elsewhere in the world in close partnership with regulators and the communities we serve, and we are working to do the same in the UK.”
The company is already starting conversations with households and businesses about what the plans will mean, at its first public event at the Central Hall, in the Dolphin Centre, on Wednesday, February 5, from 1pm until 7pm.
Amazon also needs to construct a Prime Air Drone Delivery Centre (PADDC) at the Darlington site, where drones are stored, deployed for deliveries, and maintained.
Prime Air was most recently launched from an existing facility in Tolleson, Arizona, and are delivering packages to customers in the West Valley region of Phoenix. The new drone design also includes innovative features that allow it to deliver packages to customers with smaller backyards and in more densely populated suburban areas.
The Amazon spokesperson added: “While there is still much work to do, this is an exciting step forward. A planning application will be lodged with the local authority which will seek permission to build our flight operations facilities at the site, along with applying for authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority to fly a drone in the airspace. Once those agreements are in place, we will be able to begin hiring team members to launch drone delivery.
“We’ll continue to work closely with the CAA as they develop the regulatory framework to make commercial drone delivery a reality in the UK.
“In the meantime, we will also engage with the Darlington community to answer questions and collect feedback as we seek to offer this new option for delivery.
“We have nothing more to share at this time, but we will engage with the community to answer questions and collect feedback as we seek to offer this new option for delivery.”
The drones that will be flying over Darlington have already undergone rigorous testing to ensure it meets or exceeds the FAA’s high bar for regulatory approval, which was granted in October.
While there have been reports of some crashes in America, an Amazon spokesperson said: “These incidents occurred at our private and closed testing facility, where the purpose of these tests is to push our aircraft past their limits – it would be irresponsible not to do that.”
The FAA approval included the ability to fly beyond visual line of sight using Prime Air’s on-board detect and avoid systems, which allow the drone to identify and avoid objects such as aircraft, cranes, temporary structures, and other items to ensure the safety of people, pets, and property.
The company announced in 2023 that it would be launching its drones in the UK, Italy, and in more locations in the US. Early operations in America have seen drones carrying packages weighing up to five pounds (approximately 2.2kg) and delivering within an hour or less.
It said its plan was for eligible Amazon customers to be able to opt in to drone delivery and choose from thousands of items that weigh 5lbs or less — including household products, everyday essentials, beauty items, and office and tech supplies.
The MK30 underwent rigorous safety and regulatory tests to ensure it delivers double the range and half the noise than any previous Amazon delivery drone.
