The United Kingdom’s aviation regulator has chosen six projects, including Amazon’s Prime Air, to test the use of drones for delivery, infrastructure inspection, and emergency response. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the United Kingdom intends to expand drone operations beyond current visual line of sight restrictions, allowing drones to operate over longer distances utilising advanced navigation and control systems.
The chosen trials will include Amazon’s drone delivery service, Airspection’s offshore wind farm inspections, and Project Lifeline’s medical supplies deliveries. These experiments represent an important step towards fully integrating drone operations into UK airspace.
The CAA noted that these measures will help establish laws for safely incorporating drones with other airspace users. “Our goal is to make drone operations beyond visual line of sight a safe and everyday reality,” stated CAA Director Sophie O’Sullivan. The experiments will help to enhance policy and ensure the safe integration of drones into ordinary airspace operations. Amazon has previously announced intentions to launch drone deliveries in the United Kingdom, Italy, and a third US site, emphasising drones’ expanding role in logistics and emergency services.
