The latest trial of drone delivery services has been launched by Royal Mail, this time delivering mail between two remote Scottish islands, in collaboration with Skyports and Argyll and Bute Council.
The trial, which is running between the remote isles of Islay and Jura in the Inner Hebrides until 26 July, with postal workers loading and unloading mail on both sides for the first time, is being funded partly by a £250,000 (US$324,000) grant from the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to showcase drones’ potential in enhancing public services.
The multirotor drone, which can carry payloads of up to 6kg, is the same one used in Royal Mail’s previous trial in Orkney. It is transporting mail that is usually taken via ferry in a Royal Mail van.
Improved safety and services
This is the sixth time that Royal Mail has trialled drones and the second using extended visual line of sight (EVLOS) flying, which allows drones to travel further than the standard visual line of sight by making use of ‘trained observers’ along its route. These observers keep the pilot, who is flying the drone remotely, updated on critical information to ensure the drone maintains a safe distance from other air users, structures and any hazards.
The weather and geography of the Inner Hebrides can impact the ability to provide an uninterrupted delivery service. For example, pauses in the ferry schedule – by which some mail is transported – are common during poor weather due to the challenges of docking safely.
The use of electric drones for inter-island delivery also brings significant safety improvements, ensuring postal workers can deliver between ports and marinas without risk, in addition to emissions savings.
Reliable and eco-friendly
Given its Universal Service Obligation to deliver next day to each of the UK’s 32 million addresses, Royal Mail is exploring drones as a method to deliver to remote communities in a more reliable, efficient and environmentally friendly way.
Chris Paxton, Royal Mail’s head of drones, said, “This drone trial – Royal Mail’s sixth – is the latest step in our innovative collaboration with Skyports. Trialling drones allows us to test out new ways of working to support our posties in delivering to the most remote areas of the UK. As parcel volumes increase, we are continually looking for new ways to provide a reliable, fast and lower-emission service to all our customers, no matter where they live.”
Setting standards
In 2020, Royal Mail became the first UK parcel carrier to use a drone to deliver a parcel. The company worked with a consortium of drone companies, including Skyports, to deliver to a remote lighthouse on the Isle of Mull using a drone.
Royal Mail and its partners achieved two further ‘firsts’ in 2021: becoming the first UK parcel carrier to deliver mail to a UK island via an out-of-sight autonomous drone flight and trialling the first inter-island drone flights in UK with a smaller vertical take-off and landing drone.