UK tests use of drones for deliveries and emergency services | The Mighty 790 KFGO

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain's aviation regulator has selected six projects, including one from e-commerce giant Amazon, to test the use of drones in deliveries, infrastructure inspections and emergency services, it said on Thursday.

The British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced earlier this year that it wanted to allow more drone flights for such purposes.

Currently, drone users in the UK are only allowed to fly beyond line of sight as part of tests and under strict conditions.

The trials announced by the CAA would allow selected projects to fly their drones over distances invisible to the pilot, using advanced technologies to navigate, control and detect other aircraft.

Projects include Amazon's drone delivery service called Prime Air, Airspection to conduct inspections of offshore wind farms, and Project Lifeline, which aims to deliver medical supplies.

The CAA said the trial would support the regulator's ongoing efforts to develop policies and regulations to ensure drone flights can be “fully integrated into other operators' use of airspace”.

“These innovative tests represent a significant step forward in the safe integration of drones into UK airspace,” said CAA Director Sophie O'Sullivan. “Our aim is to make beyond visual line of sight drone operations a safe and everyday reality.”

Amazon announced in October last year that it planned to begin drone package delivery in the UK, Italy and a third location in the US.

(Reporting by Catarina Demony, editing by Sarah Young)