12 April 2023
UPDATED Drone company Skyports is to deliver Royal Mail items by unmanned aircraft across the Orkney Isles without a Temporary Danger Area or other airspace restrictions in place.
Orkney I-Port operation is a fully electric drone logistics project run by Skyports with Royal Mail, Orkney Islands Council Harbour Authority and Loganair.
“The project is set to revolutionise connectivity, access and safety throughout the rural island region,” said Skyports.
There will be two services: daily delivery of Royal Mail items and the demonstration of shore-to-ship deliveries.
“The I-Port project is significant as it represents the first UK drone delivery project which can be conducted on a permanent basis under existing regulatory frameworks, a milestone made possible due to the unique landscape of Orkney,” continued the Skyports statement.
“Skyports Drone Services will establish a daily inter-island mail distribution service, initially operating between three locations across Orkney for three months, with the intent to extend.
“Post will be delivered by ground transportation from Kirkwall to a Stromness hub and transported by drone to Royal Mail sites on Graemsay and the North of Hoy, from where postal workers will carry out their usual island delivery routes.
“The new service, which is set to launch in Q2 2023, will provide considerable benefits including time, cost and emission savings and improved connectivity for island residents.”
Skyports’ Royal Mail drones will operate between Stromness on the main island to the islands of Hoy and Graemsay. Image: Google maps
FLYER asked Skyports how it planed to achieve the flights without airspace restrictions. They told us: “The route will be flown below 400 feet to take mail from rural Stromness to Graemsay & the North of Hoy. Wherever possible, the drone will be routed over the sea to minimise the surface risk.
“The drones will be operated BVLOS utilising visual observation, more commonly known as Extended Visual-Line-Of-Sight (EVLOS). Skyports will employ local hub operators at the take-off and landing points to load and unload the drone; they will also act as visual observers for the duration of the flight.
“The islands are unique as they are connected via a small passenger ferry that has difficulty docking in the challenging Orkney weather. The passenger ferries make Graemsay & North of Hoy one of the most testing areas for Royal Mail service provision. The unique geography and close physical connection between these two rural communities allows for an everyday mail delivery service to be completed flying EVLOS.
“The CAA does not require airspace segregation for EVLOS flights, as collision avoidance is achieved through the unaided visual observation of a human, either through the use of additional observers and/or visually scanning a block of airspace for conflicts.
“Maintaining visual line of sight (either via the remote pilot directly or indirectly through visual observers in the case of EVLOS) ensures that if a potential conflict is identified, the remote pilot can intervene and take mitigating action, ensuring the drone is manoeuvred clear of anything for the purposes of avoiding collisions.
“The final UAV system is yet to be defined. However, we have several all-electric small form factor ( less than 1.5m diameter) UAS that carry less than 10kg payload within the fleet for this operation. We are not using a large fixed-wing system such as the Windracer pictures in the current article.”
Skyports says it will be using small drones such as this one during a trial on Tresco. Photo: Skyports
The project’s shore-to-ship flights will operate with Orkney Islands Council Harbour Authority and vessels in its port.
The I-Port project is funded by the Department for Transport’s Freight Innovation Fund and executed by the Connected Places Catapult.
Skyports Drone Services is one of nine winners of the Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator, announced by the UK government yesterday. Skyports has been awarded £150,000 to launch the I-port service.
Alex Brown, Director at Skyports Drone Services, said: “Rural and maritime logistics are contingent on access, weather and personnel; if one of these factors is compromised, so too is the ability to provide a safe and reliable service.
“Orkney is just one example of a hard-to-reach location that will benefit significantly from regular recurring drone operations.
“We’re looking forward to showcasing how our flights can improve existing services on the island, improve connectivity for residents and support the work of Orkney’s postal staff.”
