Amazon Prime Air: First test flights for drone delivery service in Great Britain

Online retailer Amazon has conducted initial test flights with its MK30 delivery drones from the fulfillment center in Darlington in northern England. Amazon plans to launch the “Amazon Prime Air” drone delivery service there in 2026. It would be the first location in the United Kingdom from which goods are delivered by Amazon via drone.

At the end of January 2025, Amazon announced its plans to establish a flight operations facility in Darlington in County Durham in northwestern England to deliver goods to its customers by drone from there. To obtain approval for the construction of the facility, Amazon states it has worked “closely with Darlington Borough Council” and was able to convince them of the safe operation of the drone delivery service. The civil aviation authority, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has now approved the operation of the MK30 drones, allowing the first test flights to be conducted at the location.

Launch planned for 2026

However, Amazon Prime Air is still “in its early stages.” No deliveries have been made yet. Technicians are working to get the delivery service operational as quickly as possible. According to Amazon, the drone delivery service is officially scheduled to begin later in 2026. Amazon has not provided a specific date. Originally, Prime Air was supposed to be launched in the UK at the end of 2024. At the same time, the service was supposed to start in Italy. There, at least test flights were already completed at the end of 2024.

Evidently, Amazon has taken more time in the United Kingdom to address the concerns of authorities and residents. Experiences with “Prime Air” locations in the USA have shown how important it is to convince residents of the safety of flight operations. In the West Valley Phoenix Metro Area in the state of Arizona, as well as in College Station, Texas, citizen protests had occurred. Especially in Texas, there were increased complaints because the delivery drones fly over private properties, and residents felt disturbed by this. Since the drones are equipped with cameras, it was unclear what the drones were recording during flight. Additionally, residents criticized the loud flight operations and their impact on the environment. Amazon subsequently deployed the latest, quieter generation of its delivery drones: the MK30, which is also used in Darlington.

The MK30 drone is intended to be no louder than an average truck during operation, and Amazon has also worked on safety. The drone independently recognizes objects in the airspace and on the ground. For this, the drone uses perception techniques based on machine learning models. Flight movements are also monitored by a separate main flight control system that can detect irregularities during flight. In case of problems, it switches immediately to a second flight controller and initiates an automated return to base.

The MK30 delivery drones are designed for deliveries of goods up to a weight of 2.3 kg, which are to be delivered within the catchment area of the fulfillment center within one hour of order receipt.

(olb)