British Royal Mail plan to deliver couriers to remote locations: 500 drones soar in the sky

Royal Mail, which for those who don’t know, will be similar to our Correos in Spain, has been testing the use of drones for some time now, with the most recent test taking place in April in Shetland.

Drones delivered mail between Tingwall Airport in Lerwick and Unst, the northernmost inhabited island in the UK, a distance of 70 km one way.

There are companies that intend to make home deliveries using autonomous drones that lower packages of goods from suspended vehicles. But the drones that the Royal Mail plans to use do not have the ability to hover and will not replace the postman in his rounds.

The drones are large, 10 meters end-to-end, with a range of 1,000 km, and capable of carrying up to 100 kg. They are equipped with two internal combustion engines. They are more like a small plane than a drone.

This was stated by the head of testing drones Royal Mail Chris Paxton. that drones were originally designed to deliver aid to Africa.

“They are capable of taking off over a relatively short distance and landing over an equally short distance. Therefore, they can land in fields if the terrain is fairly flat.“, said. “They are very similar to a small plane. The only difference is that there is no pilot.“.

We cooperate with @Windracers expand the use of drone technology and create more than 50 drone mail routes over the next three years, subject to approval by the Civil Aviation Authority. Find out more at: https://t.co/kQ9YJJDASj pic.twitter.com/jBVdqi1nY8

— Royal Mail (@RoyalMail) May 12, 2022

Drones, he says they fly autonomously, although they are remotely controlled by “safety pilots”.which they can take over if needed. They are designed to serve what he calls the “middle mile”. Once your shipment is unloaded, it will be delivered by postal workers.

Drone maker Windracers, partner of Royal Mail on new routes, claims that they produce 30% less emissions than comparable manned aircraft. In addition, according to Paxton, drones are less affected by bad weather than conventional aircraft.

Drone Industry Insights analyst Kay Wakwitz says this type of transport is half a mile “rsolves a pressing problem for remote regions. Compared to ferries, delivery to the islands can be faster, more flexible and with less environmental impact.“.

However, for the system to work successfully, the planned routes must be approved by the CAA. Officials have told the BBC that talks with Royal Mail about their plans are at an “initial stage”.

In addition to Royal Mail, there are a limited number of trials of drone delivery in the UK. Last year, Skyports began moving Covid test samples and other medical supplies between healthcare facilities.