Amazon has been granted permission to test drones outside the line of sight of a human operator in the UK, potentially paving the way for the machines to be used to deliver parcels to homes. The online retailer is one of six organisations taking part in a trial led by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Other projects include offshore wind farm inspections, air traffic control, policing and emergency medical supplies deliveries. The information is from The Guardian.
Kirkwall Airport, in Scotland’s Orkney Islands, will take part in one of the projects that will test how drones and other aircraft can operate safely alongside each other, the report said. The regulator, which is seeking to finalise regulations for the wider use of drones, said all the schemes would use “advanced technologies” for tasks such as navigation and detecting other aircraft in a controlled environment. The tests will gather important safety data, such as how well drones detect and avoid other aircraft, as well as the electronic signals they can send to be visible to other airspace users and communicate with air traffic control.
“These pioneering trials represent a significant step forward in the safe integration of drones into UK airspace,” said Sophie O’Sullivan, Director of Future of Aviation at the CAA. “By supporting projects ranging from consumer deliveries to critical infrastructure inspections, we are gathering essential data to inform future policy and regulation. Our aim is to make beyond-line-of-sight drone operations a safe everyday reality, helping to modernise UK airspace and integrate new technologies into our skies.”
Last year, Amazon said it wanted to launch its drone delivery service in the UK and Italy before the end of 2024. It currently offers drone deliveries in the US, Lockford, California, and College Station, Texas, The Guardian reports. However, it has been nearly eight years since the tech company announced the completion of its first commercial drone delivery in the English city of Cambridge. The company scaled back its UK drone arm, Prime Air, in 2021.
“It is important for operators like us to have clear regulatory requirements in place to bring and scale new technologies like drone delivery to customers in the UK,” said David Carbone, Vice President and General Manager of Prime Air. “We are partnering with us to help clarify the regulations that support commercial drone delivery.”
