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Skyports Drone Services and Royal Mail are celebrating the one-year anniversary of their drone delivery service in Orkney, Scotland by announcing it has been extended until at least February 2026.
The Orkney I-Port project is the first UK commercial drone delivery service to be implemented on a regular basis under existing regulatory frameworks (using a beyond visual line of sight with visual mitigation framework). The extension is being funded by Connectivity for Remote Orkney Future Transport (CROFT), a UK Space Agency funded project announced by Skyports during June’s Farnborough International Airshow.
The service sees daily inter-island mail distribution between Stromness on Orkney’s Mainland and the islands of Graemsay and Hoy. The project was launched to demonstrate how drone operations can support public services such as postal deliveries and help the Royal Mail to meets its Universal Service Obligation — the obligation placed upon Royal Mail to deliver 1st and 2nd class letters, six days a week, at a “one price goes anywhere” tariff.
Chris Paxton, USO programme manager, Royal Mail, said: “Royal Mail is always exploring innovative ways to continue to meet our Universal Service Obligation to deliver to the UK’s 32 million addresses. Through our successful trial with Skyports, we are making our deliveries to remote communities quicker, more reliable and more environmentally friendly. We’d like to thank our Orkney posties for helping with this trial and upskilling themselves in the process.”
The project has operated 517 flights to date, flown in all weather conditions, covering a total distance of over 1360km (845miles). Working in partnership with Orkney Islands Council Harbour Authority and Loganair, Skyports’ drone delivery operations have shortened Royal Mail delivery times by up to 24 hours. Local postal workers have acted as visual observers for the flights and Loganair has supported pilot transport to and from Orkney.
The new phase of the project will embed key learnings and improvements from the first stage of operations, including:
- Hardware and software upgrades: Skyports and drone manufacturer Speedbird have made significant updates to the drone technology in the past 12 months to enhance operational reliability and enable flights in higher winds and more adverse weather, in preparation for flying in the winter months.
- Remote pilots: Skyports’ pilot-in-command now operates the drones remotely from the company’s Remote Operations Centre near Aylesbury. This change reduces the need for Skyports’ staff to remain on the ground in Orkney.
- New take-off points: The touchdown and lift off area (TLOF) relocated to Royal Mail delivery office in Stromness to streamline operations and reduce delivery times.
- Training of Royal Mail staff: Royal Mail staff trained to manage tasks related to the receipt and dispatch of mail delivery drones, reducing personnel demand.
Skyports has now been involved in five projects with Royal Mail to explore the feasibility of using drone operations to deliver letters and parcels. The Orkney mail delivery project is the longest running to date.
Alex Brown, director, 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.
“This project also shines a spotlight on the work we do beyond flying. To secure the strong growth trajectory we believe drones can achieve, we’re working hard to support the development of an enabling ecosystem for drone 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.”
This article was first published on our sister website Revolution.Aero.
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