Cleared for takeoff: Amazon granted permission to use drones to deliver packages

15 August 2024, 11:23 | Updated: 15 August 2024, 11:55

Amazon is one of 6 organisations chosen for a trial to expand drone use in the UK.

The Civil Aviation Authority wants to test the aircraft being flown out of sight of their operators.

Those involved in the trial want to start the air delivery service by the end of the year.

Amazon confirmed it would begin deploying the unmanned, airborne vehicles for distributing goods from some of its same-day delivery sites.

As it stands, British drone users are only allowed to fly the machines beyond the visual line of sight under trials with strict restrictions.

However, as part of the trials revealed by the aviation regulator, selected projects would be permitted to fly their devices across distances beyond the user’s ability to see them, by implementing advanced technologies used for navigation, control and detection of other aircraft.

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Kirkwall airport in the Orkney islands will be one of the projects, testing how drones and other aircraft might operate safely alongside each other.

The trials are deisgned to gather safety data, such as how drones detect and avoid other aircraft, and the electronic signals they can send to be visible to other airspace users and communicate with air traffic control.