Earlier this month, we announced a trial of the first out-of-sight, autonomous scheduled drone flights between the UK mainland and an island.
On top of that, Royal Mail has also become the first to execute inter-island parcel deliveries across the Isles of Scilly, as part of the trial.
Here's a selection of images from our trial drone flights to the Isles of Scilly, off the coast of Cornwall.
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Ready for take off
We will use Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flights to deliver PPE, Covid-19 testing kits and other mail. Parcels will be flown by a UK-built twin-engine Windracers UAV.
Over land and sea
The Windracers drone can carry up to 100kg of mail – equivalent to a typical delivery round - and can accommodate mail of most shapes and sizes.
A team effort
The Government-funded project has been developed in partnership with DronePrep, Skyports, Consortiq Limited, University of Southampton, Excalibur Healthcare Services and Windracers Limited.
Mission with a purpose
The trial will initially have a particular focus on helping to fight the pandemic by delivering crucial PPE and testing kits to the islands’ most vulnerable and remote communities.
Personal service
A smaller VTO drone, operated by Skyports, is used to transport items to a number of delivery points throughout the islands.
Helping us to deliver
If the trial is successful, the technology will be considered by Royal Mail to help identify opportunities to support postmen and postwomen in delivering to very remote areas and addresses across the UK.