The British international postal service, Royal Mail, announced a trial run to deliver personal protective equipment (PPE), Covid-19 test kits, and mail by drones from the UK mainland to the Isle of Scilly, claiming to be the first parcel carrier in the country to deliver mail to a UK island by drones.

The project is funded by the government and includes a consortium of five drone and healthcare organizations, including DronePrep, a UK-based software system designer for drone operations; Skyports, a UK-based drone logistics company; and Windracers, a UK-based not-for-profit organization providing transportation services using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The trials will utilize Windracer’s UAVs (can carry up to 220 lbs and withstand poor weather conditions) to deliver items from the mainland to an airport on the island, flying approximately 70 miles beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS). Skyports’ relatively smaller drones will then be used to deliver the packages to the delivery points throughout the island.

Royal Mail entered the drone-based parcel delivery space in December last year, partnering with a consortium of drone companies to launch a delivery trial for residents of the Isle of Mull, Scotland.