The first drone delivery service in the UK has launched in Orkney.
Royal Mail and Skyports Drone Services have co-operated to launch the Orkney I-Port operation.
Letters and parcels will be distributed on ground from Royal Mail’s Kirkwall delivery office to Stromness.
Drones will then transport items to staff on Graemsay and Hoy where postal workers will carry out their delivery routes.
The new service is in partnership with Orkney Council Harbour Authority and Loganair.
Why does Orkney need drone delivery?
The companies announced their intentions in April and are now beginning to deliver the service.
It will initially operate for three months but could be continued on a permanent basis.
The drone service is expected to significantly improve delivery times as well as service levels for islands Graemsay and Hoy.
Due to the weather and geography, delivery services such as ferries have faced disruptions.
The use of electric drones will also bring safety improvements, ensuring postal workers can deliver between ports without risk.
Mail was previously transported to Kirkwall Airport from mainland Scotland, before being delivered around the main Orkney island.
The 19 other inhabited islands’ mail was then delivered via ferry or smaller passenger plane.
Skyports will conduct the inter-island flights with the Speedbird Aero DLV-2 aircraft, which is capable of carrying payloads of up to 6kg.
‘Revolutionising’ mail delivery
The director of Skysports Drone Services Alex Brown believes they are “revolutionising” mail services in remote communities.
He said: “By leveraging drone technology, we are helping to reduce the requirement for emissions-producing vehicles.
“We’re pleased to be once again partnering with Royal Mail to demonstrate how drone operations can benefit UK logistics on this project.”
The project has been funded by the Department for Transport’s freight innovation fund and carried out by the Connected Places Catapult.
The head of the drones trial at Royal Mail Chris Paxton said the drone “supports Royal Mail’s continued drive to reduce emissions”.
He said: “We are proud to be working with Skyports to deliver via drone to some of the most remote communities that we serve in the UK.
“Using a fully electric drone supports Royal Mail’s continued drive to reduce emissions associated with our operations, whilst connecting the island communities we deliver to.”
Skyport previously used its technology to carry out a trial of school meal deliveries from Oban Airport.