Royal Mail and Skyports Drone Services have launched Orkney I-Port to distribute letters and parcels between the islands.
Mail will be transported from Royal Mail’s Kirkwall delivery office to Stromness. The drones will then transport items to staff on Graemsay and Hoy where postal workers will carry out their usual island delivery routes.
While the service will initially operate for three months, it could be continued on a permanent basis.
The drones are expected to significantly improve delivery times to Graemsay and Hoy, as weather and geography can cause disruption to deliveries.
The use of electric drones for inter-island delivery will also bring significant safety improvements by ensuring workers can deliver between ports without risk.
The project has been funded by the Department for Transport’s freight innovation fund and carried out by the Connected Places Catapult agency.
Chris Paxton, head of drone trials at Royal Mail, said: “We are proud to be working with Skyports to deliver via drone to some of the most remote communities that we serve in the UK.
“Using a fully electric drone supports Royal Mail’s continued drive to reduce emissions associated with our operations, whilst connecting the island communities we deliver to.”
Alex Brown, director of Skyports Drone Services, said: “By leveraging drone technology, we are revolutionising mail services in remote communities, providing more efficient and timely delivery, and helping to reduce the requirement for emissions-producing vehicles.
“We’re pleased to be once again partnering with Royal Mail to demonstrate how drone operations can benefit UK logistics on this project.”
