After US, Amazon to test drone delivery in UK

E-commerce giant Amazon has announced that it will partner with the British government to run tests exploring the viability of delivery of small parcels by drones.

The company announced that a cross-government team supported by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) gave permission to Amazon to explore three key areas: operations beyond line of sight, obstacle avoidance and flights where one person operates multiple autonomous drone, reports the Guardian.

The experiment will be conducted with drones carrying deliveries weighing 2.3kg or less, which make up 90% of Amazon's sales, said a company spokesperson.

A representative for the CAA said that a priority during the tests would be making sure that drone delivery did not adversely affect other airspace users.

During the test the drones will be limited to an altitude of 400 ft (122m) and kept away from operating near airport flightpaths.

Amazon is also testing its drones in the US but faces significant restrictions.

It is not the only company developing and testing drones for delivery in the U.S.

Google recently showed off a fixed-wing drone system capable of carrying packages.