Amazon has begun delivering packages by drone outside the United States for the first time, operating from a large fulfillment center in Darlington, England, since February. The site is the first location beyond the U.S. where the company has expanded its Prime Air service.

Drones are another way for Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) to increase delivery speed and convenience for customers, and the retail giant is deploying drones at scale this year. The U.K. launch marks a milestone for a program Amazon first unveiled in 2013: after receiving approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in 2020, the company began customer deliveries in College Station, Texas, in late 2022 and later extended flights to the Phoenix, Arizona, area. As in the U.S., deliveries in the United Kingdom are made within 60 minutes or less of a customer placing an order, using the MK30 drone. Prime Air allows Amazon to deliver a much larger range of products than Amazon Now, a new ultra-fast delivery service supported by microfulfillment centers in urban centers.

Amazon is not alone in pursuing the technology: Alphabet's Wing and Zipline already operate commercial drone deliveries, and Walmart offers drone delivery in a number of U.S. markets through partners. Darlington is Amazon's first move onto international turf in that field.

How delivery works

Prime Air in the U.K. is currently available to customers with a garden, yard, or driveway within a 7.5-mile radius of the advanced Darlington fulfillment center, Amazon said in a website article on Saturday. When an item weighs 5 lbs (2.2 kg) or less and fits into a large shoebox, the customer can select the drone delivery option during checkout. Millions of items are currently eligible.

During checkout, customers see a satellite map of their property showing options for "delivery zones," pre-identified using Amazon's digital mapping and AI systems. The customer then selects one of the drop-off zones and is reminded to keep the area clear, according to Amazon.

At the Darlington fulfillment center, a mobile robot called Hercules delivers the customer's order in a pod to an associate, who packs it in Prime Air packaging. Amazon plans to invest billions of dollars to expand robot deployment in warehouses across Europe.

Safety systems and weather limits

The U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority, the regulator governing British airspace, approved Amazon to conduct drone operations. The MK30 can reach speeds of 70 mph. Amazon says safety is assured with its detect-and-avoid technology and pre-flight inspections, which include a visual check of key components and installing a charged battery before the package is loaded into the underside of the autonomous aircraft.

Once the drone arrives at a customer's property, it descends while identifying and steering clear of obstacles. Cameras monitor the surrounding airspace and can navigate around unexpected aircraft. The drone then drops the parcel from a safe height. Prime Air boxes have customized cushioning technology at the bottom to protect the item during delivery.

The MK30 can fly safely in light rain and a range of temperatures and wind speeds, but if conditions make flight unsafe, Prime Air is grounded. Real-time weather signals are integrated into the checkout process, meaning that if conditions are unsuitable — heavy rain, high winds, or poor visibility — drone delivery will not appear as a shipping option, and the customer can choose another delivery method instead.

Two years of testing

Amazon said engineers spent two years building the six-rotor MK30 and conducted more than 5,100 flight tests totaling more than 900 hours in the air to account for all scenarios, including high winds and unexpected obstacles in the flight path.

"The result is a machine built around one principle: no single point of failure should ever cause it to lose control. Every flight-critical system has a backup, and the drone's onboard perception system — a network of cameras and sensors — can detect and avoid obstacles that may not have been captured in satellite imagery," Amazon said in the article.

Currently in the U.K., Prime Air delivery is included as part of an Amazon Prime membership. Amazon said it will evaluate delivery fees consistent with other premium speed services as it extends the service to broader areas.