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The United Kingdom’s first-ever drone delivery service was launched on Scotland’s Orkney Islands on Tuesday, August 1, according to a joint press release from the Royal Mail and the company operating the drone.
Royal Mail said it had worked with Skyports Drone Services to establish a “daily inter-island mail distribution service between three islands on Orkney,” which was dubbed the Orkney I-Port operation.
“The project will initially operate for three months, with the intent to extend in the future,” Royal Mail said. Orkney’s “unique landscape and “the proximity of the islands to one another” means the service can operate within current flight regulations, they added.
The flights, carried out by Skyports Drone Services using a Speedbird Aero DLV-2 drone, would launch from Stromness on Mainland Orkney and deliver up to 6 kilograms (13 pounds) of letters and parcels to Royal Mail staff on the islands of Graemsay and Hoy, the press release said.
“The weather and geography of Orkney can impact the ability to provide an uninterrupted delivery service. For example, pauses in the ferry schedule – by which some mail is transported – are common during poor weather due to the challenges of docking safely. The I-Port operation significantly improves service levels and access for rural communities, significantly shortening delivery times to Graemsay and Hoy,” Royal Mail said.
This footage shows a drone launching from Stromness and flying about 2.5 miles to a landing site on the isle of Hoy. Credit: Royal Mail via Storyful
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