"First-ever #AmazonPrimeAir customer delivery is in the books," said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in a tweet.
Amazon has made the first customer delivery using a drone. Carrying a package containing a bag of popcorn and a Fire TV video-streaming device, the drone took off to a height of 400 feet and flew to Richard B's two-story farmhouse near Cambridge, U.K., in 13 minutes.
The delivery marks the start of operations for Amazon's drone program after three years of skepticism and regulatory struggles. The initiative by Amazon is called Prime Air, and its aim is to delivery packages in less than 30 minutes.
Amazon has decided to run its first tests in the UK since U.S. regulations didn't allow the company to experimenting on American soil. And unlike in the U.S., Amazon can operate the drones beyond the line of sight in the U.K., making it a better test location. Furthermore, UK legislation also allows pilots to operate more than one automated drone at a time.
Prime Air will make more drone tests in the Cambridge area seven days a week during daylight hours, if the weather permits. The company also added that the current trial was only permitted to operate during daylight hours with low winds and good visibility, and not in rain, snow or icy conditions.
Amazon's drones are guided by GPS. To create a more accurate landing destination, customers can also use a unique QR code.
As for the first delivery, it wasn't a long way off. According to Catherine Shelby who lives nearby, "The house is so close to the testing site it would have been quicker to walk there with the package."
