Royal Mail will test the use of drones to deliver health and safety equipment, COVID-19 test kits and other items to the Isles of Scilly.
It will be the first time that an out of sight autonomous scheduled drone flight has been used between the UK and an island, the company said.
Packages will be transported to St Mary’s Airport by a drone that can carry up to 100kg of mail at a time, which is roughly the size of a typical delivery tower.
The items will then be transported by a smaller drone to delivery points around the islands.
Amy Richards, a letter carrier on the Isles of Scilly, said: “There are some really remote areas on these islands, and this is a great way to help us reach them.
“It is really important for us to do whatever we can to help all parts of the country stay connected, especially during these difficult times.”
If the trial is successful, Royal Mail said the technology could be used to help postal workers deliver to remote parts of the UK.
Royal Mail Commercial Director Nick Landon said: “It is part of our continued drive to incorporate the best and most innovative technologies into our network.
“We have seen a huge increase in parcel volumes since the start of the pandemic, and this is just one of the ways we are looking to help our postal workers provide fast and convenient service to all of our customers while reducing our carbon emissions. emissions. “
The government-funded project is being developed in partnership with DronePrep, Skyports, Consortiq Limited, University of Southampton, Excalibur Healthcare Services and Windracers Limited.
Transport Minister Rachel Maclean said: “The UK is already a world leader in aviation innovation and today’s announcement is an exciting step forward for Royal Mail . “
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-05-10 02:00:00
