Amazon delivers first UK parcels by drone in Darlington
The service allows packages weighing under 5lb (2.2kg), including everyday items like beauty products, batteries and cables, to be delivered within a 7.5-mile (12km) radius of Amazonβs local fulfilment centre.
The company believes there is strong demand for ultra-fast delivery and plans to expand the service gradually over time.
Farmer Rob Shield, who hosted early test runs on his land, said the technology quickly moved from novelty to practicality. βInitially, it was a novelty, so we were ordering everything under the sun,β he told the BBC. βPens, paper, chocolates, anything to make it keep coming.β
He added: βSince then, you obviously start realising βI actually need something todayβ like tape measures and stuff like that youβre always losing, we just order it, and it comes,β he told the BBC.
Deliveries arrive in small parcels, roughly the size of a shoebox, which are lowered from a height of about 12ft (3.6m) into customersβ gardens or yards.
However, not everyone is convinced. Some Darlington residents expressed hesitation about the concept. βI think Iβd rather somebody actually handed me my parcel than dropping it into my garden,β one resident told the BBC, while another said they might try it once but would likely βstick to the old way,β they told the BBC.
Amazon has spent more than a decade developing its drone delivery technology and remains confident that customers are ready for it.
βThe certainty is people have never told us they want their stuff slower,β said David Carbon, vice president of Amazon Prime Air, told the BBC. βIf youβve got kids and you want fever medication, you want it, you donβt want to drive to the store,β he told the BBC.
In the UK, drones currently deliver within two hours, though Carbon said the average delivery time in the US is around 36 minutes.
The service is still limited in scale. Amazon expects to carry out up to 10 flights per hour, or around 100 deliveries per day on weekdays.
The drones being used, Amazonβs latest MK30 model, are equipped with sensors to detect and avoid obstacles such as washing lines, trampolines, people and other aircraft. Using GPS, they can identify precise drop-off points and release packages accurately.
Despite the technological progress, challenges remain.
Dr Anna Jackman, an associate professor of geography at the University of Reading, said drone deliveries are harder to implement in densely populated urban areas.
βA lot of our demand for delivery services is in urban centres,β she told the BBC. βThey are very densely populated and congested, and the reality is drone deliveries donβt work well in high-rise buildings,β she told the BBC.
She added: βWhile there are ideas to develop rooftop deliveries and centrally located hubs, right now weβre not there yet,β she told the BBC.
For now, customers in Darlington must have access to a suitable outdoor space, such as a garden, to receive deliveries.
Drone technology is already being tested in other sectors. The NHS has trialled drones to transport blood supplies in London, while Royal Mail has used them to deliver parcels to remote communities in Orkney.
Amazonβs drone programme has not been without setbacks. Earlier this year, an MK30 drone in Texas collided with an apartment building after briefly losing GPS signal.
The drone fell and broke apart, though no one was injured. Following the incident, Amazon suspended deliveries to similar types of buildings.
Carbon said such incidents are part of the learning process, noting that more than 170,000 drone flights have been completed safely.
For drone deliveries to become widespread, companies must be able to operate beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS). Amazon has received approval to do this in Darlington, with drones monitored remotely by operators who can coordinate with air traffic control at nearby Teesside Airport if needed.
Darlington was chosen as the UK test site because it offers a mix of residential areas, major roads and proximity to an airport, all within a compact area near an Amazon fulfilment centre.
The project is still in its early stages. It currently operates under a Civil Aviation Authority trial running until the end of the year. Temporary protected airspace has been granted to support the programme, with permissions expected to be extended.
Darlington Borough Council said the scheme had been given temporary planning approval due to its experimental nature, allowing the concept to be tested before any long-term decisions are made.
βItβs great to see Darlington at the forefront of such a pioneering scheme which highlights our borough as an area of innovation, development and investment,β a council spokesperson told the BBC.
Amazon had originally planned to launch the service sooner, but delays pushed back its rollout. Despite this, the company maintains that drone delivery has strong commercial potential.
βWe wouldnβt be doing it if it wasnβt commercially viable,β Carbon told the BBC. βItβs a business, and thatβs the goal weβre going after,β he told the BBC.