Incredible footage shows first Royal Mail drone delivery to Mull lighthouse

An incredible video has shown the first ever Royal Mail drone parcel delivery arriving at a remote lighthouse on the Isle of Mull.

Customer Alexa Kershaw, who is based at Rubha Na Gall Lighthouse, described the new technology as a “game changer” as she received the parcel in the run up to Christmas.

Ms Kershaw added that she was “really excited” to be the first ever recipient.

She said: “When we need things in a hurry – when I have problems with the generator and need spare part for the generator or if people need medical supplies it can take a while.

“New technology or new mechanisms to get deliveries of parcels or important post out to rural, remote areas is really important. It could be a real game changer.”

She added that the new technology could “really change” how post is delivered to rural inaccessible locations.

The clip shows the drone landing in the grounds of Rubha Na Gall Lighthouse, which is located close to the picturesque town of Tobermory.

Royal Mail joined forces with DronePrep, Skyports, and tech firm what3words to create the new service.

As with all Royal Mail deliveries across the UK, the postcode will route the parcel towards its destination.

The local postie will then use drone delivery to reach the most remote locations in their patch faster.

For the drone delivery, residents consulted on the Isle of Mull will be invited to use the DronePrep platform to assess the viability of their property for drone delivery and pinpoint a suitable landing location within their ownership using the what3words integration.

To enable this for the trial, Royal Mail is asking recipients to provide the what3words address, a 3 metre by 3 metre square, that corresponds to the precise landing point for delivery of Royal Mail parcels via the drone from the Royal Mail van.

Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said: “Delivering the first live parcel in the UK by an unmanned drone was a landmark day for us.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in parcel volumes this year and this is just one of the ways we are looking at to support our frontline delivery staff and deliver fast, convenient and green services for all of our customers.”