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The delivery division of UK drone services and advanced air mobility infrastructure company Skyports has been selected to operate aerial distribution routes between Scotland’s Orkney islands for the national postal company, Royal Mail.
Skyports Drone Services will be launching the Orkney I-Port drone delivery project for Royal Mail during an initial three-month trial period in the coming weeks and hopes to extend it permanently from there. The pilot phase is being partially underwritten by a grant from the UK Department for Transport’s Freight Innovation Fund, which earlier this week selected Skyport’s proposal for the new, sustainable approach to cargo transportation across the chain.
Read: Skyports launches employee recruitment drive for drone delivery and service operations
Under the plan, Skyports will oversee the interisland distribution of Royal Mail letters and parcels flown to Orkney’s main postal facility in Kirkwall. In doing so, the company’s delivery UAVs will take over feeder activities to local post offices for last-mile distribution currently handled by ferries.
Due to the archipelago’s often harsh and rapidly changing weather conditions, that maritime link of mail flows is vulnerable to recurring interruptions.
The Orkney Islands project is only the most recent in a series of innovative drone delivery and transport services Skyports has launched in Scotland, which is seeking to be a leader in UAV development and operations. The company has also carried out drone transportation duties to other offshore localities for Royal Mail, including a 2021 launch of routes to the Isles of Scilly.
According to the company, the Orkney program, set to begin in the second quarter of this year, will provide a variety of benefits over current distribution methods, including time, cost, and emission savings, and improved connectivity for island residents.
“Rural and maritime logistics are contingent on access, weather, and personnel; if one of these factors is compromised, so too is the ability to provide a safe and reliable service,” says Skyports Drone Services Director Alex Brown. “Orkney is just one example of a hard-to-reach location that will benefit significantly from regular recurring drone operations. We’re looking forward to showcasing how our flights can improve existing services on the island, improve connectivity for residents and support the work of Orkney’s postal staff.”
In addition to the main focus of Orkney’s interisland postal deliveries for Royal Mail, Skyports will also pursue other work to expand drone activity in the area.
That will include Skyports drones performing shore-to-ship flights carrying administrative documentation, provisions, or samples from commodity holds between incoming vessels and officials with the Orkney Islands Council Harbour Authority.
Read: Skyports adds Pyka heavy payload delivery drones to its fleet
The company will also carry out a feasibility study looking to eventually replace the traditional small aircraft used to connect freight and mail between the mainland and Orkney with one of Skyports’ electric heavy-lift drones.
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