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In addition to the cost savings, Royal Mail said the move will save around 30,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and help it meet a target of achieving net zero emissions by 2040.
The company’s delivery lorries run partly on hydrotreated vegetable oil – a renewable alternative to diesel – while it also has around 5,000 electric vehicles in its fleet.
Alistair Cochrane, chief operating officer at Royal Mail, said: “Moving letters and parcels by air has played a significant role in Royal Mail’s history, enabling us to fulfil our commitment to provide a next-day delivery service to every address in the UK.
“However, we are continually modernising and these changes to our network mean that we can reduce our reliance on air, which is good for our customers and the environment.”
It comes as Royal Mail gears up for a £3.6bn takeover by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky that will place the postal service in private ownership for the first time in its 500-year history.
The tycoon has outlined a string of undertakings to stave off national security concerns, including maintaining Saturday deliveries for first class letters and protecting the Royal Mail brand.
Labour has vowed to “robustly scrutinise” the deal and hinted that postal workers could be given a greater say in how the company is run.
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