On the one-year anniversary of the launch of its Orkney drone trial, Royal Mail and Skyports Drone Services have announced that the service ‘has been extended until at least February 2026’.
The trial has been described as “a daily inter-island mail distribution service between three islands on Orkney” using fully-electric drones.
According to Skyports, this is the first UK commercial drone delivery project to be implemented on a regular basis. The project won the Best Use of Drones Award at the 2023 Robotics & Automation Awards.
The company is excited to continue operating in this region over the next two years to improve connectivity and access to critical public services in some of the most remote parts of the country.
Alex Brown, director of Skyports Drone Services, said: “Our Orkney flights with Royal Mail demonstrate the viability of long-term drone operations and highlight the role that new aviation technologies can play in supporting essential public services.
He added: “To secure the strong growth trajectory we believe drones can achieve, we’re working hard to support the development of an enabling ecosystem for drone services.”
Cllr Kristopher Leask, Orkney Islands councillor (Kirkwall West and Orphir) and chair of the Development and Infrastructure Committee, added: “I’m delighted to see the commitment to Orkney shown in the extension of drone deliveries, and I look forward to seeing how Skyports Drone Services and Royal Mail can further work with communities to improve the services the depend on.”
In addition to this, Project Care & Equity – Healthcare Logistics UAS Scotland (CAELUS), which is part of the UK Research and Innovation Future Flight Challenge, conducted a range of drone trials in partnership with NHS Lothian and NHS Borders.
The Skyports team managed multiple flights carrying laboratory specimens between Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Borders General Hospital in Melrose.
During these journeys, drones were used as a means of showing how uncrewed aerial vehicles can be used to “enhance clinical decision-making by speeding up the transportation of critical samples,” Skyports said.
A key part of the trial phase including monitoring the interactions of NHS staff with the drones, both physically and digitally. This intelligence will be used to scale up operations in the future through improved usability.
Earlier this month, Skyports Infrastructure also unveiled designs for its first UK vertiport testbed for the electric air taxi industry. Last week, the company was given the green light from planning authorities to build the site.
