The daily inter-island mail distribution service, which will go via Stromness to Graemsay and Hoy, will see letters and parcels delivered to postal workers via drone. The staff will then make their usual island delivery routes.

I-Port will operate for an initial three month period, with the intent to extend in the future. It’s the first UK drone delivery service that can be conducted on a permanent basis in line with existing regulatory frameworks.

Skyports Drone Services will conduct their inter-island flights with the Speedbird Aero DLV-2 aircraft — an electric, multirotor drone which has a payload capacity of 6kg and a range of up to 16km.

The I-Port is one of the nine winning projects of the Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator programme, which is backed by the Department for Transport (DfT). Skyports received £150,000 of grant funding to test operations.

The service is expected to significantly improve service levels and delivery times for rural communities, considering that Orkney’s geography and weather can impact delivery schedules. Poor weather conditions commonly disrupt ferries, by which some mail is transported on.

Commenting on the service, Chris Paxton, Head of Drone Trials at Royal Mail, said: “We are proud to be working with Skyports to deliver via drone to some of the more remote communities that we serve in the UK.

“Using a fully electric drone supports Royal Mail’s continued drive to reduce emissions associated with our operations, whilst connecting the island communities we deliver to.”

Alex Brown, Director, Skyports Drone Services, also commented: “By leveraging drone technology, we are revolutionising mail services in remote communities, providing more efficient and timely delivery, and helping to reduce the requirement for emissions-producing vehicles.

“We’re pleased to once again be partnering with Royal Mail to demonstrate how drone operations can benefit UK logistics on this project. The I-Port project also marks an exciting milestone as it is the first operation we are completing with aircraft partner Speedbird.”

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In recent years, the Scottish archipelago hasn’t been a stranger to testing, trialling, and utilising new technology when it comes to deliveries to its rural locations and communities.

In 2021, DIGIT reported on the news that Royal Mail had trialled scheduled, autonomous delivery flights between Kirkwall North Ronaldsay with a large, twin-engine Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

The latest initiative, the Orkney I-Port project, was first announced earlier this year.