Amazon confirms Darlington as proposed site for UK drone deliveries
Amazon confirms Darlington as proposed site for UK drone deliveries
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Darlington has been chosen as the proposed site from which Amazon hopes to begin launching drone deliveries in the UK. The US tech giant said it was now lodging planning applications with the local authority and was seeking clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for the drone-based delivery service, which is known as Prime Air.
Prime Air has so far launched in two locations in the US and delivers packages in 60 minutes or less using a fleet of Amazon-designed, built and operated drones. In a statement, the tech giant said as well as seeking planning approvals for the scheme, it would also engage the local community to answer questions and collect feedback on the service.
“We are ready and excited to make drone delivery a reality for our UK customers. We have built safe and reliable drone delivery services elsewhere in the world in close partnership with regulators and the communities we serve, and we are working to do the same in the UK,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
“We are announcing that Prime Air is taking steps to start planning for initial flights from our fulfilment centre in Darlington. “While there is still much work to do, this is an exciting step forward. A planning application will be lodged with the local authority which will seek permission to build our flight operations facilities at the site, along with applying for authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority to fly a drone in the airspace.
