Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) has announced it will begin using drones for deliveries in the UK from late next year in a bid to reach customers within the hour.
Areas in the UK and Italy will see drone deliveries for the first time from "late 2024" under the plan, which will also see the company’s technology upgraded in the US, where it already operates.
Drones will aim to reach customers in the new areas in under an hour from the orders being placed, with this often being the case in the US already, according to Amazon.
“I've never heard anyone say they wouldn't want something faster,” Amazon Prime Air vice president David Carbon commented.
Discussing concerns over safety, Carbon said talks were already taking place with the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority on how the drones will be deployed in British airspace.
The actual use of the drones is “absolutely safe,” he added, suggesting physically driving a car to the shops was more risky.
Packages weighing less than 5lbs (2.2kg) will be eligible for delivery via drones, Amazon added, with the overall target of making airborne deliveries “commonplace” by 2030.