Amazon Prime Air drone delivery (Darlington): UK release date and price
MK30 drones dropping small Amazon parcels into Darlington gardens.
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- Status
- Darlington only
- UK arrival
- Live in Darlington since early 2026 under a CAA trial approval running to 31 Dec 2026; wider UK rollout TBC.
- UK availability
- Darlington only: homes with a garden or driveway within about 7.5 miles of the fulfilment centre, weekdays, daylight and decent weather.
- Price
- Included with Amazon Prime; no extra drone delivery fee.
- Made by
- Amazon
- Category
- Delivery
- Last checked
Amazon’s first drone delivery service outside the US operates from its fulfilment centre in Darlington, County Durham. Eligible customers with a garden, yard or driveway within roughly 7.5 miles can have small items, up to about 2.2kg and shoebox-sized, dropped from the MK30 drone. There is no extra charge for Prime members. Amazon says deliveries began in February 2026, while some trade press dates the first customer deliveries to early May, so treat the start date as early 2026. The service runs under a Civil Aviation Authority trial approval that expires on 31 December 2026, capped at 10 flights an hour and 100 deliveries a weekday. Uptake has been modest. DroneXL reported in September about 500 flights since February, roughly three deliveries per weekday. One MK30 crashed on 29 July, prompting an Air Accidents Investigation Branch inquiry. Amazon has asked the CAA to extend coverage to the whole town. For everyone outside Darlington, there is no date. For small retailers, this is not a service you can use, but it signals where regulation is heading.
Timeline
- Amazon says Darlington drone deliveries began in February 2026 (day not published)
- Trade press reports first commercial customer deliveries under CAA trial (to end-2026, 100/day cap)
- MK30 crash in Darlington; AAIB investigation opened
- Reported: Amazon applies to CAA to cover all of Darlington after ~500 flights
- Current CAA trial authorisation expires
Promised dates
Every date Amazon or a regulator has given in public, and whether it held. 1 of 1 slipped. About the Slip Index.
| The promise | Said | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| UK drone deliveries“late 2024” (Amazon, source) | LateHappened 1 Feb 2026, 13 months late |