Amazon is launching ultra-fast drone deliveries in Italy, the UK, and a third location in the U.S.
Amazon customers in Italy, the UK, and an additional U.S. city will soon have the option to get their packages delivered by a drone beginning in late 2024. The Prime Air drone delivery system is expanding to international locations, and adding a third city in the United States by the end of next year— specific cities in the U.S. and abroad will be named in the coming months. The new locations add to their existing drone delivery operations in the U.S., where they’ve been using drones to safely deliver packages weighing up to five pounds in one hour or less, for almost a year.
In addition to the new delivery sites, Prime Air is unveiling the new MK30 drone design, which is quieter, smaller, and lighter, than previous models. They’re also announcing that drone deliveries will be integrating into Amazon’s delivery network, meaning drones will deploy from some Same-Day Delivery sites. In Italy and the UK, they will start integrating into some of their fulfillment centers, which will provide Amazon customers with faster delivery of an even greater selection of items. They will start with one site in each location and expand over time.
They expect drone delivery to take flight in all three new locations by the end of 2024. Once available, eligible Amazon customers can 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.
Amazon’s Prime Air drone deliveries are coming to Italy, the UK, and a third U.S state
They are working closely with national regulators and international regulators, and communities in the EU, Italy, the UK, and the U.S., to develop this program. They have committed the necessary time and resources to build a safe and scalable service. They have refined the technology, and are now building the right infrastructure to ensure the service provides the ultimate convenience for the customers. They’ve also taken great care to ensure that their drones’ 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.
Working with policymakers
Amazon has been working closely with regulators and governments around the world to expand drone delivery. Here’s what they have to say about the exciting expansion of our program in Italy and the UK:
“The future has arrived in Italy. Being chosen by a global player such as Amazon is further confirmation of the strategy pursued by ENAC (the National Civil Aviation Authority), to push for innovation of advanced air mobility in the aviation industry, creating a national ecosystem favorable to the safe development of new services. Italy’s experience will be an inspiration and support for safe operations in the rest of Europe,” said Pierluigi Di Palma, President of ENAC.
“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,” said Aviation Minister Baroness Vere.
The new MK30 drone will be faster, quieter, and lighter
Their newest drone, the MK30, is unlike any other drone. The new design can fly twice as far as previous Prime Air drone models, which will allow to deliver to customers who live farther out from their fulfillment networks. The MK30 is quieter and will be able to fly in more diverse weather conditions—meaning customers can get super speedy deliveries even in situations like light rain, and hotter and colder temperatures. Their drones have a unique package delivery system, where packages are held inside drones during transit to protect their contents.
Original article HERE
Picture source: aboutamazon.com