Inside Amazon's first-ever drone delivery site in the UK

Key takeaways Amazon drones are delivering parcels in Darlington, England, as part of the launch of Prime Air in the UK. It is the first time Prime Air is available to customers outside of the U. S. Customers within a 7. 5-mile radius of the fulfillment center can have certain items delivered by drone.

Just a few miles from the center of Darlington, England, is one of the country's most advanced Amazon fulfillment centers. The 465,000-square-foot site is fitted with state-of-the-art robotics technology and, as of February 2026, has been delivering parcels to customers by drone as part of the launch of Prime Air outside of the U. S.

Amazon's fulfillment center in Darlington, England, serves as a hub for the company's drone delivery operations in the UK. Amazon first announced plans to launch its Prime Air drone delivery service in the UK in 2023, with the northern town of Darlington being confirmed as its first location in 2025.

It's the first time Amazon has expanded the service outside the U. S. "I'm proud that Darlington is the first Prime Air location outside the U. S. , and that UK customers are now experiencing this." said Amazon UK Country Manager John Boumphrey. "The team has spent years making this safe, reliable, and real."

How Amazon proved its new delivery drone is safe for takeoff Proving the safety of our new MK30 required creating—and acing—a battery of tests. Like in the U. S. , deliveries in the UK are made within 60 minutes or less of a customer placing an order using the MK30 drone.

The MK30 operates safely and highly autonomously using sophisticated, industry-leading detect-and-avoid technology, ensuring the safety of people, pets, and property. “The fact that a customer can now order an item and have it delivered by drone shows how we keep innovating for customers to make their lives easier,” said Boumphrey.

“Not that long ago, two-day delivery felt incredible, and now we're using drones." How does Amazon's drone delivery work? Standing roughly five feet tall with a wingspan of about five and a half feet, the MK30 can carry packages weighing up to five pounds. Prime Air in the UK is currently available to customers with a garden, yard, or driveway in a 7.

5-mile (12km) radius of the Darlington fulfillment center. When an item weighs 5lbs (2. 2kg) or less and fits into a large shoebox, the customer can select the drone delivery option during checkout. Millions of items are currently eligible.

During checkout, customers see a satellite map of their property showing options for "delivery zones," pre-identified using Amazon's digital mapping and AI systems. This is all done digitally—no physical survey of the property is needed. The customer can then select one of these drop-off zones and will be reminded to keep the area clear.

How Amazon's delivery drones make smart landing decisions in unexpected conditions Prime Air’s advanced safety systems are built to safely land in the event of severe weather, unexpected events, and more to protect people, pets, and property. As soon as an order has been placed, things kick into action at the fulfillment center.

The Darlington site is home to advanced robotics, meaning the customer's item is carried by Hercules, an autonomous lifting unit, to an associate who packs it in Prime Air packaging. Customized Prime Air boxes have cushioning technology at the bottom to protect the item during delivery. Safety is always our top priority.

Our drone has received Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval to conduct operations, and an associate always carries out a pre-flight inspection of the drone. The associate ensures everything is in working order and installs a charged battery before loading the package into the underside of the aircraft.

Sameer Mehmood, a ground handler at the site, explained: “One of the main things in the process is doing visual checks of the drone. I make sure the drone is in a good state, there's no damage, it's airworthy, and good to fly. You’ll see me checking the propellers, the struts, the motors, and doing a full 360 run of the drone."

Each Prime Air package is secured in a compartment on the underside of the drone. An associate carries out a detailed inspection of the drone before takeoff. Before each flight, an associate installs a freshly charged battery, ensuring the drone has the power needed to complete its delivery and return to base.

01 / 04 Mehmood joined Amazon in 2020 as a part-time associate at the fulfillment center before becoming a team leader shortly after. In 2026, he received the training needed to join the Prime Air team. “I think it's a really cool job and career path to get into... It just amazes me every time that we're actually delivering packages by drone.”

With inspections complete and the package loaded, the drone can take flight. It flies autonomously to the customer's property at speeds of up to 70mp