Global retailer Amazon has chosen Darlington for the UK launch of drone deliveries.
Delivery service Prime Air will see autonomous drones carry out same-day 30-minute deliveries from warehouse to customers’ homes across the area.
It comes after 18 months of work between Amazon, Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and Teesside International Airport.
Planning permission and authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority will be sought ahead of the start of operations.
Mr Houchen said: ‘We have worked tirelessly with Amazon to bring this UK first to Teesside which will support high-quality jobs, deliver vital multi-million-pound investment in our local economy and drive growth across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.’
An Amazon spokesperson said: ‘We are ready and excited to make drone delivery a reality for our UK customers.
‘We have built safe and reliable drone delivery services elsewhere in the world in close partnership with regulators and the communities we serve, and we are working to do the same in the UK.’
