First Amazon Drone Deliveries to Take Place in Darlington

Amazon has been teasing drone deliveries since 2022 after launching Prime Air in the US. Last year, they revealed they would be expanding into the UK. They’ve now announced initial Amazon drone deliveries will take place at their fulfilment centre in Darlington.

What is Prime Air?

Prime Air is essentially Amazon drone deliveries. They promise to deliver your order in 60 minutes or less using a fleet of electric drones. This has been in the works since 2013, with various tests, planning applications and drone developments over the years. Their latest drone, the MK30, can carry up to 4.8 pounds and operate in diverse weather conditions, including light rain – definitely needed in the UK!

What’s next for the UK?

Now Darlington has been named as the official testing site for Prime Air in the UK, Amazon will now be lodging a planning application with the local authority to seek permission to build their flight operation facilities at their site. They also need to apply to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to fly drones in the airspace. Once the agreements are approved, they will begin hiring staff to launch their Amazon drone deliveries.

The original plan was to trial deliveries within 7 miles of their operating site. Amazon also plans to speak with the wider Darlington community over the coming months to answer questions and collect feedback in preparation for this new expansion of Prime Air.

So what do you think? Will you be flying your orders in? We’ll be keeping a birds-eye view on developments in Darlington, so come back and visit our blog for the latest news.