31-01-2025
'Takeaways will be delivered by drone' in County Durham and Darlington in the future
Takeaways will eventually be delivered by drones in County Durham and Darlington, according to a North East drone expert
While there is talk over Amazon selecting Darlington as a location where it will trial delivering packages by drone - attention has turned to what else drones could do in the near future.
The accountable manager of North East's leading drone company, heliguy, believes that the future could spell deliveries via drone by JustEat and UberEats.
Mark Blaney has set out a vision for the future, which could include drone flights for takeaways and police replacing helicopters with drones.
Drone (Image: PA MEDIA) 'Eventually, I believe you will have the likes of Just Eat and Uber Eats using drones instead of drivers to deliver your Chinese takeaway on a Saturday night,' said Mark, who has almost two decades of experience in the drone industry..
'And while it makes sense that Amazon would be the first major company to trial drone deliveries, I think by the end of this decade, you will see more businesses using drones to make deliveries.
Mark Blaney (Image: HELIGUY) While the question of takeaways delivered by drone has been raised, it's understood that companies such as JustEat and Uber Eats have not officially put out anything relating to drones - but have been contacted by The Northern Echo for a comment on this.
Meanwhile, for Amazon, the UK-first trial will see Amazon make Prime Air deliveries in a pre-selected 7.5 mile area, with drones guided from the firm's huge Symmetry Park warehouse.
A pizza (Image: NORTHERN ECHO) While the plans have generated a buzz, Amazon still has several hurdles to clear - including securing both planning permission and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval - with the US-firm acknowledging there is 'still much work to do' before the flights become reality.
Heliguy recently received the CAA's first-ever permission to make beyond visual line of sight flights in an atypical air environment, which effectively means they can fly a drone-based anywhere in the UK - remotely from our North Shields base.
Having secured that UK-first approval from the CAA, heliguy's now in a position to use drones to carry out everything from remote security patrols to pipeline and turbine inspections, without the need for a pilot on-site - a 'gamechanger' for businesses as it makes the jobs quicker, cheaper and more thorough.
Recently, it worked with Durham County Council to inspect over 5,000 solar panels at the authority's Morrison Busty eco-depot.
Recommended reading:
'Will it video my house?' Darlington residents react to Amazon drone deliveries plan
Firefighters battle van fire on busy A-road as pictures show flames raging
Tributes paid to much-loved former County Durham headteacher Frank Ridley
Previously, the mammoth task took days to complete - but with the help of heliguy's drones, it took just 80 minutes.
Following on from this work, Mark believes that as the public trust in drones grows, they will become more widespread.
He added: 'Within ten years, I could even see the police helicopter being replaced by 24/7 drones - or a fleet of them - and eventually you will look up and they'll be doing everything.'
