Related Articles
The Orkney I-Port pilot programme, which sees electric drones take letters and parcels between remote islands, provides a daily mail distribution service between Stromness on Orkney’s Mainland and the islands of Graemsay and Hoy.
So far, 517 delivery flights have taken place, operating in all weather conditions, with the drones covering a total distance of over 1,360km.
The programme was designed to demonstrate how drone operations could support critical public services in rural and remote areas, and help Royal Mail meet its Universal Service Obligation, which requires Royal Mail to deliver letters and parcels to every address in the UK at affordable prices.
The use of electric drones for inter-island delivery reportedly also brings safety improvements, ensuring postal workers can deliver between ports and marinas without risk, as well as emission savings.
The extension of the project will be funded by Connectivity for Remote Orkney Future Transport (CROFT), a UK Space Agency initiative announced by Skyports during Farnborough International Airshow.
According to Skyports, the introduction of delivery drones has shortened Royal Mail delivery times by up to 24 hours, with local postal workers acting as visual observers for the flights and Loganair supporting pilot transport to and from Orkney.
This new phase of the project will see a number of technical improvements to drone capabilities. Operational reliability has been improved ahead of winter, allowing flights in higher winds and more adverse weather, and pilots can now operate drones remotely from the Skyports HQ near Aylesbury, reducing the need for staff to travel to Orkney.
Recommended reading
Alex Brown, director at Skyports Drone Services, said: “Our Orkney flights with Royal Mail demonstrate the viability of long-term drone operations and highlight the role that new aviation technologies can play in supporting essential public services.
“Our next phase of work in Orkney will explore how 5G can support drone operations in harsh rural environments and provide key learnings that we can apply to other future projects.”
Earlier this summer, Skyports and Royal Mail launched a similar trial running delivery drones between the remote isles of Islay and Jura in the Inner Hebrides, while drones were even more recently used to deliver lab specimens between NHS Lothian and NHS Borders hospitals.
