Amazon's drone delivery project became real as the company completed its maiden commercial delivery in the UK.
The delivery was made on Dec. 7 to an Amazon customer in Cambridgeshire, England. The delivery consisted of an Amazon Fire streaming device and popcorn. The entire journey took 13 minutes and covered two miles.
The service has been named Prime Air by Amazon. The company intends to carry out two more test flights to customers near Cambridge. This city currently hosts a large drone testing plant for Amazon. Upon the successful completion of the tests, the company may expand the scope of trials to include dozens of customers in the coming months.
The company needs customized centers for drone delivery as the process involves loading the drone with cargo and navigating the vehicle. After takeoff, the drone soars up to 400 feet high.
Amazon stated that it has Prime Air labs operating in the US, the UK, Israel, and Austria. It is speculated that the company may start testing flights in these countries in the near future.
While Amazon's latest venture is a giant step towards making drone deliveries a norm, the process is still fraught with various complications. The drones are currently allowed to fly during daylight hours. The weather is also required to be sunny.
Amazon is also pitching for exclusive airspace for its drones to avoid or minimize the chances of a mishap. The company said that low altitude spaces should be reserved for drones.
It is not yet clear whether the company has any immediate plans of carrying out drone deliveries in the US, where the regulatory environment is relatively stricter than the UK. However, the Federal Aviation Administration in the US has issued new rules allowing the limited commercial use of drones.