Amazon has started testing drone flights from its Darlington fulfilment centre, with the northern city set to become the first location in the UK to launch the e-commerce giant’s Prime Air service later this year.

Beginning with a limited number of flights, the plans will see Amazon deploy its new MK30 drone, which the firm said can operate autonomously using sophisticated “detect-and-avoid” technology to deliver packages weighing up to five pounds in less than two hours.

Aware of criticism surrounding the safety of using drones in urban areas, the company said that Prime Air systems are being built with multiple safety features in place, with the MK30 already having received Civil Aviation Authority approval to begin operations.

Outlining the drone’s safety systems, Amazon claims the MK30 can identify and steer clear of people, pets, property, and even obstacles like clotheslines while landing. In flight, the drone will use cameras to continuously monitor the surrounding airspace, with built-in “perception technology” determining whether evasive action is needed.

Meanwhile, an independent monitoring computer that oversees the main flight control system will identify irregularities during flight, instantly switching control to a secondary controller and initiating an automated return-to-base procedure if needed.

Amazon also moved to ease concerns about noise for those in the flight path, saying that the drones are as quiet as an average van delivery, after the development team experimented with various propeller designs to keep noise to a minimum.

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“Starting flights in Darlington marks an important milestone in bringing drone delivery to the UK,” said David Carbon, VP of Prime Air.

“Safety is our top priority, and we have worked closely with Darlington Council and the Civil Aviation Authority. We look forward to demonstrating how this innovative technology can serve the people of Darlington while maintaining the highest safety standards.”

Delivery drones are nothing new for some UK customers, with the Royal Mail having introduced the UK’s first commercial drone mail service after initial trials in 2020. Likewise, the NHS has been trialling the use of delivery drones for specimens since the pandemic, and last year flew a loaded drone from Edinburgh’s BioQuarter to the Borders General Hospital in Melrose.

With almost unlimited resources, however, Amazon could soon eclipse these efforts and take a chunk of the UK delivery drone market, already valued at $1.2 billion (£891.3m), and quickly growing.