Royal Mail wants a fleet of 500 drones to deliver mail to isolated villages in the United Kingdom

The Royal Mail wants a fleet of 500 drones to assist deliver mail to rural areas across the United Kingdom.

It anticipates that up to 200 drones will assist in the delivery of mail on 50 new routes over the next three years, with the Isles of Scilly, Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands, and the Hebrides being the first to benefit.

The Civil Aviation Authority must approve the new services (CAA). The new routes will be dependent on “ongoing expected improvements in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle economics,” according to the report. Royal Mail has been experimenting with drones for a while, with the most recent trial taking place in April on the Shetland Islands.

The mail was transported by drones from Tingwall Airport in Lerwick to Unst; the UK’s most northerly inhabited island, a 41-mile journey each way.