Drone postal deliveries begin in Switzerland

California drone company Matternet was the first to announce the Swiss Post project back in April, as they have partnered with the postal service to supply their drones.

Testing of the autonomous GPS-guided drones will be carried out throughout this month, although any widespread use of the aircraft isn’t expected to take place for about five years – issues such as battery life and legislation still need to be worked out.

One reason Swiss Post is trialling drone deliveries is to provide respite for settlements “cut off from the outside world because of bad weather”, with drones transporting “urgently needed items”.

“Swiss Post delivers reliably, no matter what the terrain – even in Switzerland’s challenging geography”, reads the press release. They also added that the drone “flies autonomously, following clearly defined, secure flight paths, which are drawn up by cloud software developed by Matternet (the drone’s U.S. manufacturer)”.

The FAA said drone use for commercial purposes would require special pilot certificates and the devices would not be allowed near crowded areas. However, the postal drones are unlikely to be sent into the skies within the next few years while the team continues to tweak their design. They have said that it will be available for some specific use within five to ten years.

Common application of drones to deliver e-commerce packages in densely-populated areas, however, is still a long way off, logistics experts say.

Another realistic possibility is the urgent transport of consignments with the highest priority, such as laboratory tests.

“Swiss Post delivers reliably, no matter what the terrain – even in Switzerland’s challenging geography”.

Alibaba and Amazon also plan to start drone delivery operations, respectively in China and the US.