Autonomous drone makes special deliveries to Scilly Isles

Royal Mail has also carried out inter-island parcel deliveries across the Scillies as part of the trial, which is the first to execute ‘out-of-sight’ flights between the mainland and the islands with an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

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“This is part of our constant drive to incorporate the best and most innovative technologies into our network,” said Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail. “We’ve seen a huge increase in parcel volumes since the start of the pandemic, and this is just one of the ways we are looking to support our postmen and postwomen in delivering fast and convenient services for all of our customers.”

The government-funded project - developed in partnership with DronePrep, Skyports, Consortiq Limited, Southampton University, Excalibur Healthcare Services and Windracers Limited - will initially focus on delivering PPE and testing kits to the islands’ most vulnerable and remote communities. Windracers’ drone can accommodate mail of most shapes and sizes, allowing more general mail to be transported to the islands as part of the trial.