UK-based air taxi and drone logistics company Skyports has partnered with the British international postal service, Royal Mail, and the relevant authorities to commence drone-based delivery trials in Orkney, Scotland, starting in Q2 2023.

The companies will launch two separate services: 1) daily middle-mile delivery of Royal Mail items and 2) demonstrations of shore-to-ship deliveries.

Analyst QuickTake: The news of the partnership comes just a day after Skyports received GBP 1.2 million (USD 1.5 million) from the UK government to deploy drones to deliver packages on remote Scottish islands, including Orkney. On a separate note, this is not the first time Skyports and Royal Mail have partnered to launch drone-based delivery trials; this move simply strengthens their collaborations further. The duo first partnered in December 2020 to trial drones on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, and then again in May 2021 when they trialed drone-based deliveries on the Isle of Scilly, UK.