Amazon claims first successful Prime Air drone delivery

Amazon has completed its first customer delivery by drone.

The company made the used its Prime Air service for the first time to deliver goods to a customer in Cambridgeshire on December 7. Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos confirmed the delivery in a tweet.

Amazon said a new private trial – also in the UK – will now deliver packages up to 2.3 kg in weight in 30 minutes or less using the drones, which it began testing earlier this year. The initial trial will start with two customers, with plans to expand to others in the local area.

Amazon’s drones are fully autonomous and are dispatched from a local centre. After customers make their order, their boxed goods are placed inside the body of the drone. The drone is then sent outside down an automated track before taking off vertically. The drones are guided by GPS and fly below 120 m to land on ground near the customer’s home.