Argyll and Bute trial drone deliveries with Skyports

Argyll and Bute Council is working with Skyports Drone Services to carry out a series of flight demonstrations and inspections to explore how drone deliveries can benefit remote communities and businesses in the area.

The UK Government awarded Argyll and Bute Council a grant of GBP250,000 in November 2022, via the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund (RPF), to work in partnership with industry experts and conduct a series of trials that will serve as a building block to showcase the potential of drones in enhancing vital public services. The current GBP12m round of RPF is being delivered by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. 

Over the last few weeks, the council and Skyports have been using uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to undertake trials for various operations including river inspections, food sample collections, and samples from private water supplies.

The council, in collaboration with Skyports, is supporting other organisations like the Royal Mail, NHS, Network Rail, and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) in improving the provision of critical services in the area. This collaborative effort aims to demonstrate how these organisations can improve the safety, efficiency and sustainability of their operations and better serve customers by implementing electric drone services.

The council previously worked with Skyports in 2022, when it became the first local authority in the UK to trial the feasibility of school meal delivery via drone. The trials were also utilised to monitor and evaluate the use of UAS in visual maintenance surveys. As a result, the council is now looking to create a permanent UAS Innovation Logistics Hub at Oban Airport. The Hub will be a base for electric drones to transport medicines, biological samples, and cargo between islands and the mainland.

Alex Brown, Director of Skyports Drone Services, said he hoped the trials demonstrate the need for new drone regulation that enables the integration of UAS operations with existing aviation, which would enable the company to implement its drone delivery and inspection services at scale.