NOW THAT’S AIR MAIL!
Drone delivers parcel to remote Scottish lighthouse in UK first
IT is the time of year when parcels are flying off the shelves to be delivered all over the country.
And in a UK first, the Royal Mail has used a drone to fly a package on a Scottish island.
The delivery – which contained a jumper from Selfridges – was flown from the harbour at Tobermory on Mull to the Rubha nan Gall Lighthouse three-and-a-half miles away. The postal group said
‘New ways to support us posties’
it was the first step in a ‘groundbreaking’ programme aimed at making it easier to deliver post to addresses in rural locations.
Using drones to deliver parcels has been talked about for years, but this is believed to be the first time a nationwide UK parcel carrier has transported a real package in this way.
Royal Mail said its next step will be to consult residents on Mull to understand how best the technology could support them. If the scheme is successful, it could be used elsewhere in the UK.
Postman Tom Nunn said taking part in the trial was ‘fantastic’.
He said: ‘It is an exciting opportunity to test out new ways of working to support us posties that deliver in some of the most remote areas of the UK. Some of the houses on the Isle of Mull include a 30-minute walk to the front door, so the use of drones will be a huge help.’
As with normal deliveries, the postcode routes the parcel to its destination but the local postie then uses a drone to reach more remote locations. Royal Mail has teamed up with drone companies, including Skyports, which is using drones to help NHS Scotland with its Covid-19 response.
Customers will be able to check if their property is suitable for a delivery using the DronePrep platform.
They can then pinpoint a suita
ble landing location using the what3words system, which has allocated every three-metre square in the world a unique combination of three words.
Royal Mail said the drones are not intended to replace postmen altogether – and they could not be used in major cities.