DHL will ship in Germany with drones: delivering drugs to remote islets

In Friday, the German express giant DHL plans to use drones to transport drugs to juist, a sparsely populated island in northwestern Germany, the morning News of Beijing Time, September 26. This will be an important application of UAV technology in Europe. Depending on the weather conditions, the drone will fly for up to 30 minutes. DHL says it is the first time in Europe that drones have been authorized to perform daily flights without the assistance of ground personnel. Some American technology giants are also studying the use of unmanned aircraft to deliver express packages. Amazon is currently in Canada and Google is testing in Australia. Similarly, DHL hopes that this 1-month-long test will prove that no one can replace the traditional way of delivering express packages to remote areas. Google and Amazon are planning to launch drone services on a larger scale, while DHL says it will not fully introduce drone technology into the Global Express network. The company says drones can be used for special occasions, such as remote areas. In these areas, the use of unmanned aircraft delivery is cheaper than delivery through manpower. As a result, DHL designed an unmanned aircraft delivery route from Norden in northwestern Germany to Juist Island. The population of Juist Island is less than 2000 people. As part of the pilot, DHL plans to deliver drugs two times a day when weather conditions permit. When a ferry or air service is stopped, the drone will assume the task of delivering the goods. DHL's drones weigh less than 3 lbs (about 1.36 kg). After the drone landed, DHL Local courier will take the goods and delivery to each household. A big factor impeding the use of drones by companies such as Google and Amazon is the inability of the companies to obtain regulatory clearance for drone flights. Earlier this year, for example, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not approve an application for an unmanned aircraft courier service in Minnesota State. The service plans to use drones to transport beer from wineries to nearby fishermen. To avoid a similar problem, DHL said it had been working with the German Aviation Administration and the German Ministry of Transport and digital infrastructure to delimit the restricted flight areas of the drone project. In the 7-mile (11.3-kilometer) journey from the mainland to the island, the drone will be 100 feet (about 30.5 meters) from the ground and at an hour of 40 mph. DHL has been testing the drone technology since last year, but the company has no control over the weather. The German coast could wind up in Friday, which would cause the first flight of the DHL drone to be postponed.