Amazon and UK Government Aim for the Sky with Partnership on Drones
New Program Will Explore the Safe Use of Drones for Delivery
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–(NASDAQ:AMZN) – Amazon has today announced a partnership with the
UK Government to explore the steps needed to make the delivery of
parcels by small drones a reality, allowing Amazon to trial new methods
of testing its delivery systems.
A cross-Government team supported by the UK Civil Aviation Authority
(CAA) has provided Amazon with permissions to explore three key
innovations: beyond line of sight operations in rural and suburban
areas, testing sensor performance to make sure the drones can identify
and avoid obstacles, and flights where one person operates multiple
highly-automated drones.
“The UK is a leader in enabling drone innovation – we’ve been investing
in Prime Air research and development here for quite some time,” said
Paul Misener, Amazon’s Vice President of Global Innovation Policy and
Communications. “This announcement strengthens our partnership with the
UK and brings Amazon closer to our goal of using drones to safely
deliver parcels in 30 minutes to customers in the UK and elsewhere
around the world.”
This ground-breaking work will help Amazon and the Government understand
how drones can be used safely and reliably in the logistics industry. It
will also help identify what operating rules and safety regulations will
be needed to help move the drone industry forward.
“Using small drones for the delivery of parcels will improve customer
experience, create new jobs in a rapidly growing industry, and pioneer
new sustainable delivery methods to meet future demand,” said Misener.
“The UK is charting a path forward for drone technology that will
benefit consumers, industry and society.”
As the UK’s aviation safety regulator, the CAA will be fully involved in
this work to explore the potential for safe use of drones beyond line of
sight. The outcomes of these tests will help inform the development of
future policy and regulation in this area.
“We want to enable the innovation that arises from the development of
drone technology by safely integrating drones into the overall aviation
system,” said Tim Johnson, CAA Policy Director. “These tests by Amazon
will help inform our policy and future approach.”
Amazon Prime Air
Prime Air is a future delivery system from Amazon designed to safely get
packages up to 5 pounds to customers in 30 minutes or less using small
drones. For more information on Prime Air, visit www.amazon.com/primeair.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than
competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational
excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping,
personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle
Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa
are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more
information, visit www.amazon.com/about.
Contacts
Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline, 206-266-7180
Amazon-pr@amazon.com
www.amazon.com/pr
