The Royal Mail: Drones used on remote island to deliver post

The Royal Mail are using drones to deliver post on a remote island as part of a trial to reduce carbon emissions.

A two-week trial has started where autonomous flights will go between Kirkwall and North Ronaldsay in the Orkney Islands.

Autonomous means they'll be making the journey all on their own without the help of humans.

The post will be carried by a drone, called Ultra, which can carry 100kg of post of all shapes and sizes.

North Ronaldsay is Orkney's most northly island and has a population of about 70. The drone will take off from Kirkwall, which is the mainland on the Scottish Orkney Islands.

A computer controls the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), but there are safety pilots on the ground making sure it stays on track for the 70 mile round-trip.

Once the post is delivered by the drone to the island, postmen and women will continue to deliver the letters and parcels the usual way.

If this trial is successful Royal Mail will consider using the technology to help other posties deliver parcels to very remote areas of the UK.

UAVs can fly in bad weather like fog and they do not depend on tides which is currently what some transport such as boats depend on.

Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail said: "The trialling of drone technologies is just one of the ways we are supporting our postmen and postwomen to deliver an amazing service, while reducing our carbon emissions."

Sarah Moore is a postwoman for North Ronaldsay, she said: "North Ronaldsay is a very remote area of the UK and I'm proud to be involved in an initiative that will help Royal Mail to do all we can to keep all areas of the UK connected."

This is the third trial that the Royal Mail have taken part in. They have also used drones on the Isle of Mull in Scotland and the Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall.