Amazon started the process of introducing drone deliveries on the same day from his warehouse in Darlington, County Durham, in what could be an important milestone for his excellent air service in the UK.
This week, the technology giant is holding a public meeting in the area to request permission from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to exploit drones in the airspace around his facility on the outskirts of the city.
According to the proposed plan, Amazon will hire a local team to supervise the start and land on the site. As soon as the necessary approvals are present, customers can opt for the service within 7.5 miles from the warehouse, excluding zones that are considered unsuitable for drone flights. Before he uses Prime Air, Amazon representatives will check any real estate to ensure that there is a suitable area for drone drops, and customers will then place a lightweight landing pillow in their garden that can identify the drone from above.
In August 2023, the company already received CAA approval for the outside tests for a non-commercial British test location. Prime Air deliveries were also operated on in parts of the United States – in particular Texas and Arizona – and in Italy, although services were recently paused after test accidents in Oregon had requested a software update. Although Amazon initially strived to launch drone deliveries in the UK and Italy before the end of 2024, that timetable has slipped, making the precise launch date for Darlington’s service unclear.
The history of Amazon with drone deliveries dates from a successful pilot near Cambridge in 2016, followed by a recalibration of his British Drone program in 2021. Recent drone tests in San Salvo in Italy, as well as tests in Lockford (California) and Oregon, also encounters setbacks, with two drones that crash in rain conditions in Oregon. According to Amazon, those accidents were not the main reason for the temporary stopping and the company rolls out a software update to tackle the problem.
In the meantime, the UK as a whole is his efforts to support the use of commercial drone. Royal Mail has tested the delivery of Drone post on external communities, including on the Shetland Islands, and has extended a similar program in Orkney to at least February 2026. Superhighway ‘in the south of and central England, part of broader plans for Outside Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights under new CAA instructions.
Although Amazon has not announced a specific timeline for activities in Darlington, the company says that this is a ‘exciting step forward’. Saving the approval of the regulations and completing essential infrastructure are the latest obstacles, and Amazon emphasizes that it will continue to work closely with local residents and the CAA before he fully rolls out its Prime Air Service in the region.