Former Royal Mail boss seeks to deliver letters by drone

The company’s autonomous drones, which take off and land like an aeroplane, have a 10-metre wingspan and can carry up to 100 kilograms for 1,000km.

They would be more likely to be used for bulk deliveries to delivery hubs, rather than dropping letters and parcels at doors.

It has secured £30m in funding to date, largely from government grants.

The company has worked with the Royal Navy on trials that could see drones transport supplies between ships and the British Antarctic Survey for scientific research.

Windracers, which was founded by former private equity investor Stephen Wright, has claimed its drones could also be used for delivering humanitarian aid or fighting forest fires.

Mr Thompson said drone technology was currently ahead of regulation, “but that won’t be the case for much longer”.