Pioneering drone delivery service in Orkney extended out to February 2026
August 29, 2024
Skyports Drone Services, the global specialist in drone delivery and inspection services for healthcare, maritime, logistics and energy use cases, has extended its drone delivery service with Royal Mail in the Orkney Isles.
Since its launch in 2017, Skyports has considered rural Scotland a prime example of where drone services can bring significant benefits. The company has completed several trials and tests across the country, including five projects with Royal Mail which explore the feasibility of using drone operations to deliver letters and parcels. The Orkney mail delivery project is the longest running project to date.
The award-winning Orkney I-Port project was the first UK commercial drone delivery service to be implemented on a regular basis under existing regulatory frameworks. The service used a beyond visual line of sight framework with visual mitigation, and established a daily inter-island mail distribution service between Stromness on Orkney’s Mainland and the islands of Graemsay and Hoy. The project has demonstrated how drone operations can support critical public services including Royal Mail postal deliveries thereby helping Royal Mail to meet its Universal Service Obligation.
Chris Paxton, USO Programme Manager, Royal Mail, said: “Royal Mail is always exploring innovative ways to continue to meet our Universal Service Obligation to deliver to the UK’s 32 million addresses. Through our successful trial with Skyports, we are making our deliveries to remote communities quicker, more reliable and more environmentally friendly. We’d like to thank our Orkney posties for helping with this trial and upskilling themselves in the process.”
The 517 flights made so far have covered a total distance of over 1,360 km, (the equivalent of the distance between London and Rome), operating in all weather conditions.
Working in partnership with Orkney Islands Council Harbour Authority and Loganair, Skyports’ drone delivery operations have significantly improved service levels for rural communities, shortening Royal Mail delivery times by up to 24 hours and improving their efficiency and reliability. Royal Mail’s local postal workers have acted as visual observers (VO) for the flights and Loganair has supported pilot transport to and from Orkney.
The fully electric drone delivery project improved connectivity, safety and service provisions in the rural island region and is exploring how 5G technologies can enable rural drone operations.
Alex Brown, Director, Skyports Drone Services, said: “Our Orkney flights with Royal Mail demonstrate the viability of long-term drone operations and highlight the role that new aviation technologies can play in supporting essential public services. This project also shines a spotlight on the work we do beyond flying. To secure the strong growth trajectory we believe drones can achieve, we’re working hard to support the development of an enabling ecosystem for drone services. Our next phase of work in Orkney will explore how 5G can support drone operations in harsh rural environments and provide key learnings that we can apply to other future projects.”
The newly announced service extension was announced by Skyports during the Farnborough International Airshow and is being funded by Connectivity for Remote Orkney Future Transport (CROFT), a UK Space Agency funded project.
Councillor Kristopher Leask, Orkney Islands Councillor (Kirkwall West and Orphir) and Chair of the Development and Infrastructure Committee, said: “I’m delighted to see the commitment to Orkney shown in the extension of drone deliveries, and I look forward to seeing how Skyports Drone Services and Royal Mail can further work with communities to improve the services they depend on.”
The new phase of the project will embed key learnings and improvements from the first stage of operations, including:
Hardware and software upgrades: Skyports and drone manufacturer Speedbird have made significant updates to the drone technology in the past 12 months to enhance operational reliability and enable flights in higher winds and more adverse weather, in preparation for flying in the winter months.
Remote pilots: Skyports’ pilot-in-command now operates the drones remotely from the company’s state-of-the-art Remote Operations Centre near Aylesbury. This change streamlines operations and significantly reduces the need for Skyports’ staff to remain on the ground in Orkney.
New take-off points: The touchdown and lift off area (TLOF) relocated to Royal Mail delivery office in Stromness to further streamline operations and reduce delivery times.
Training of Royal Mail staff: Royal Mail staff trained to manage tasks related to the receipt and dispatch of mail delivery drones, reducing personnel demand and supporting more agile operations.
