Amazon customers in the UK, Italy and an additional US city will have the option to get their packages delivered by a Prime Air drone beginning in late 2024.
Specific cities in the US and abroad will be named in the coming months.
David Carbon, Vice President of Amazon’s Prime Air, says: “As part of our continued efforts to innovate for customers, we are excited to announce the expansion of Prime Air delivery internationally, for the first time outside the US.”
“We have been delivering packages by drone for almost a year in California and in Texas. We have built a safe, reliable delivery service and have partnered very closely with regulators and communities.”
“We will continue with that collaboration into the future to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers and the communities we serve.”
Prime Air is also unveiling a new MK30 drone design, which is said to be quieter, smaller, and lighter, than previous models.
Deliveries will also be integrating into Amazon’s delivery network, meaning drones will deploy from some same-day sites.
In a press release, Amazon said: “We are working closely with national and international regulators, and communities in the EU, Italy, the UK, and the US, to develop this programme. We have committed the necessary time and resources to build a safe and scalable service.”
“We have refined the technology, and are now building the right infrastructure to ensure the service provides the ultimate convenience for our customers.”
“We’ve also taken great care to ensure that our drone design philosophy and demonstrated levels of safety are setting a higher bar for safety across the commercial drone delivery industry, working closely with regulators to design to the highest standard set within those regulations.”
UK Aviation Minister, Baroness Vere, comments: “Amazon’s announcement today is a fantastic example of government and industry coming together to achieve our shared vision for commercial drones to be commonplace in the UK by 2030.”
“Not only will this help boost the economy, offering consumers even more choice while helping keep the environment clean with zero emission technology, but it will also build our understanding how to best use the new technology safely and securely.”
Eligible Amazon customers will be able to opt in to drone delivery and choose from thousands of items that weigh five pounds or less, including household products, everyday essentials, beauty items, and office/tech supplies.
Frederic Laugere, Head of Innovation Advisory Services at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, says: “Exploring the options of how drones can be safely and successfully incorporated into more of the UK’s airspace is key.”
“It is vital that projects such as this take place to feed into the overall knowledge and experiences that will soon enable drones to be operating beyond the line of sight of their pilot on a day to day basis, while also still allowing safe and equitable use of the air by other users.”
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