Amazon has expanded its Prime Air drone delivery service in Darlington, County Durham, making around 8,000 households eligible for the service, up from just 600 when the UK trial launched in May. Eligible customers can now receive everyday items in under two hours.
Safety approval enables expansion
The expansion follows a safety approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which has granted Amazon permission to fly its drones further and over more populated areas. Amazon has become the first drone operator in the world to receive a SAIL 4 operating authorisation and flightworthiness validation from the regulator.
More people in Darlington could now see Amazon drones delivering small parcels in their neighbourhoods as a result of the expansion.
Service details and restrictions
The service allows eligible customers to order a range of everyday products, including beauty items, baby supplies and technology accessories. Orders can arrive in under two hours, with no additional delivery charge for Amazon Prime members.
There are some restrictions on who can use the service and what can be delivered. Items must weigh less than 2.2kg and be small enough to fit inside a large shoebox. Customers must also have a suitable garden or driveway where the drone can safely deliver their parcel, and homes must be located within a 7.5-mile radius of Amazon's fulfilment centre in Darlington to qualify.
Drone technology and future plans
The deliveries are carried out using Amazon's electric MK30 drones, which have been designed to fly safely around obstacles. The drones use machine-learning technology to detect and avoid things such as people, animals, washing lines and trampolines.
Theunis Scheepers, Amazon's director of Prime Air Europe, said the latest approval followed years of engineering work and marked an important step forward for the company. He added: "For customers in Darlington it means getting what they need quickly, safely, and reliably."
Amazon has been working on drone delivery technology for more than a decade, after founder Jeff Bezos first outlined his plans for the service. However, the service is still limited to Darlington in the UK, which remains Amazon's only operational Prime Air location in the country. The company has not yet confirmed where or when drone deliveries will be introduced next.
