Amazon has applied to expand its drone delivery service across the whole of Darlington, more than a year after launching its UK trial in the County Durham town.
The retail giant announced in January that Darlington would be its test centre for Prime Air in the UK — the first time the service operated outside the USA. Limited flights began in February, initially serving customers within a 7.5 mile radius of the Amazon site.
Expansion Plans
After completing more than 500 flights and deliveries, Amazon has now submitted an application to the Civil Aviation Authority to cover the entire town. Vice president of Prime Air David Carbon said the company was expecting to get permission "very soon", with plans to eventually expand the service across the whole of the UK.
Current Service Details
Eligible customers in Darlington can currently receive items within two hours, provided they have a garden, yard, or driveway, the package weighs less than 5lb and fits inside a large shoebox. Staff at the site reported a best delivery time of 39 minutes.
Carbon said the drones help reduce congestion by keeping "people off the road" and pointed to customer demand for faster deliveries. He acknowledged there had been "some incidents" but said the rate was not high.
In July, a drone crashed into a garden in Darlington. Amazon said no one was injured and its initial assessment was that an object extending above the roof of a moving vehicle came into contact with the drone. The company stated the drone "responded as designed and came safely to the ground".
