You’ve got mail, and it’s being delivered with the help of a drone. Can you imagine the excitement when the first person received a letter in the 1930’s delivered by a traditional postie. The Postal Museum has photos of how postmen delivered the mail during challenging times. It’s recorded that in 1934 Mr R Rees climbed 403 steps and crossed a suspension bridge to deliver mail to the lighthouse on the isle of Anglesey in the UK. When it was first built it was only accessible via a cable and casket mechanism. Just imagine what Mr Rees would think when seeing how mail is now delivered to remote areas with the help of a drone. It’s a historic moment for the parcel and delivery space in the UK, but also the world.
The UK has now launched its first delivery of mail via a drone and it’s quite something to witness. It’s being reported that the Royal Mail and Skyports Drone Services have launched the Orkney I-Port operation to send out letters and parcels between islands, specifically within Orkney Council Harbour Authority and LoganAir.
How will drone delivery work?
The mail will be transported from Royal Mail’s Kirkwall delivery office to Stromness, but from hereon the drones will take over. Drones will be used to shorten the time and costs spent on transporting items to staff on Graemsay and Hoy. From here the postal workers will continue to carry out their usual island delivery routes. The program is part of a 3-month trial period. But given the unique landscape and proximity of the islands to one another, it could become a permanent program.
Improved service delivery with drones
Drone delivery has already increased significantly over the last few years. In Logan, Australia, drones can transport up to 1,000 items each day. Trial drone deliveries are already underway in Dublin, Ireland. There is massive interest in this type of last-mile delivery, due to its cost effectiveness and improved service delivery levels. This makes it also easier for deliveries to islands, where adverse weather conditions can impact last-mile deliveries unexpectedly. Speeding up the delivery time, minimizes the risk of hitting rain.
Electric multirotor DLV-2 for drone delivery
The project is using the electric multirotor DLV-2 drone in Orkney. It has the capacity of 6kg and a range of up to 16km. It has a large payload volume and therefore it’s ideal for Royal Mail parcels. Each drone also has a parachute. The first delivery took place last month. More deliveries will continue throughout the next few months up until October.
Unlocking new possibilities for businesses with drone delivery
Manoel Coelho is the CEO of Speedbird Aero and he believes this is only the start of “unlocking new possibilities for businesses and communities alike.” Speedbird Aero and Skysports will be focusing on sustainability and innovation to “pave the way for a greener and more connected future.”
Alex Brown is the director at Skyports Drone Services wants to get more companies alike onboard. “Our approach to fleet development is to onboard a select number of vehicle providers that can match market growth, scale with us and meet the requirements of the locations in which we operate.”
About the author
Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
