Swiss Post to test drone delivery service
Swiss Post will be testing the use of drones for mail deliveries this summer, in a pilot scheme it is running in collaboration with US-based drone manufacturer Matternet.
The company wants to see if drone technology may be useful in getting post to remote communities across the mountainous country, which can hard to reach by more conventional means during the winter months. As noted by PostandParcel last month, China’s S.F. Express has also begun using small drones to deliver packages to remote and mountainous areas in south China.
Amazon and DHL are among the many international players which see significant potential for drone technology. DHL Parcel has been running a pilot scheme to deliver medications and other urgent items to the island of Juist off the north-west coast of Germany using its “parcelcopter” aircraft. Amazon, meanwhile, was given approval by The Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) earlier this month to test a delivery drone in a live environment in the United States.
