Amazon begins drone deliveries in UK with Darlington pilot programme

Amazon has officially launched its first drone delivery service in the UK, with selected customers in Darlington, County Durham, now able to receive parcels by air within hours of ordering.The pilot programme uses Amazon’s latest MK30 drones to transport lightweight packages directly to homes located within a 7.5-mile radius of the company’s local fulfilment centre. Items currently eligible include small household products such as batteries, beauty items and electronic accessories weighing under 2.2kg.The rollout marks Amazon’s first drone delivery operation outside the United States and comes after years of development and testing.Local farmer Rob Shield, who allowed Amazon to carry out early trials using an Airbnb property on his land, said the service initially attracted attention simply because of its novelty.“Initially it was a novelty, so we were ordering everything under the sun,” Shield told the BBC. “Pens, paper, chocolates – anything to make it keep coming.”He said the drones later became useful for urgently needed everyday items.Amazon’s MK30 drones are designed to fly autonomously using onboard sensors and GPS systems that help them navigate around obstacles such as trees, washing lines and buildings before lowering parcels into gardens or designated drop-off areas.David Carbon, vice president of Amazon Prime Air, said the company sees fast delivery as a growing customer expectation.“The certainty is people have never told us they want their stuff slower.”“If you’ve got kids and you want fever medication, you want it. You don’t want to drive to the store,” he added.The company said it currently plans to operate a maximum of 10 flights an hour in Darlington, amounting to roughly 100 deliveries a day during weekdays.Amazon first experimented with drone deliveries in Cambridge in 2016, completing an early test delivery in just 13 minutes. The technology is already active in five US states, where average delivery times are reportedly around 36 minutes.However, the system has also faced technical setbacks. Earlier this year, one of the MK30 drones struck the side of an apartment building in Dallas, Texas, after drifting off course during a delivery. No injuries were reported.