Amazon's drone-based delivery division Prime Air, along with five other organizations, has been selected by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), UK for a trial to test the integration of drones into airspace, focusing on operations beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS).

The trial aims to gather data on how drones detect and avoid other aircraft and how electronic signals can improve their visibility to air traffic control and other airspace users. The trial projects involve testing drone deliveries to consumers, conducting infrastructure inspections, and performing flights to remote areas.

The selected parties include 1) Amazon Prime Air for consumer deliveries, 2) Airspection for offshore windfarm inspections, 3) National Police Air Service (NPAS) for policing applications, 4) NATS for North Sea inspections, 5) Project Sustainable Aviation Test Environment (SATE) for flights to Orkney, and 6) Project Lifeline for medical deliveries.

Analyst QuickTake: Amazon’s Prime Air already offers drone-based deliveries in the US and even received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for BVLOS deliveries in May 2024. The company also plans to expand the service to Amazon Prime customers in the UK and Italy later this year.