Amazon launched the UK’s first retailer drone delivery service in Darlington, County Durham, with the MK30 drone delivering packages under 5 lbs within a 7.5-mile radius of Amazon’s fulfillment center. The service can carry out a maximum of ten flights an hour or up to 100 deliveries a day on weekdays, with eligible customers needing a garden or yard to receive deliveries dropped from a height of 12 feet. Current UK delivery time is two hours, compared to a 36-minute average in the US, where Amazon already operates drone deliveries in five states. Darlington was chosen because it has a mix of residential areas, major roads, and an airport all close to each other, with the service approved by the Civil Aviation Authority for a trial through the end of the year and temporary protected airspace granted through mid-June.
