Advertisement

Deutsche Post completes first drone flight

DPA/The Local
DPA/The Local - [email protected]
Deutsche Post completes first drone flight
The drone flew across the Rhine on Monday. Photo: DPA

Deutsche Post used a drone to deliver a package for the first time on Monday, flying a box from a pharmacy across the Rhine just a week after Amazon carried off a similar stunt.

Advertisement

Deutsche Post dubbed its yellow drone the Paketkopter and said it carried medicine from a pharmacist in Bonn across the Rhine to its own head office.

“We are at the beginning of the research project,” said DHL manager Ole Nordhoff. “It is an exciting bit of technology.”

This being Germany, there are also regulations to consider - Monday's test flight required a special permit, while the legalities of using drones remain unclear.

The drone flew at a height of 50 metres for one kilometre and took two minutes to complete the journey.

It was flown by two men using a remote control but the technology also exists to direct the drones to their destination with GPS.

Online retailer Amazon announced last week it was working on a project to deliver packages with drones and hoped to have a service up and running within five years.

Deutsche Post then announced on Thursday it had a similar project, but Monday’s test was the first successful flight of a drone carrying a package.

Its project is focusing on delivering medicines.

READ MORE: Deutsche Post pushes up international mail prices

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also