The former chief executive of Royal Mail has taken charge of an autonomous drone start-up, claiming the technology can slash the price of parcel delivery.
Simon Thompson has been appointed chief executive of Windracers, a British drone company that has already worked with Royal Mail to deliver letters to the Scilly Isles, Orkney and Shetland Islands.
Mr Thompson, a former Ocado and Apple executive, left Royal Mail last year after two years in charge of the postal service, a period in which he clashed with unions and MPs over strike action.
His appointment at Windracers, founded in 2017 using research from the University of Southampton, comes amid a surge in interest in drone delivery in the UK.
Amazon has said it plans to start flights in Britain this year, while The Telegraph revealed last month that drones from Google’s sister company, Wing, have been earmarked for London flights as soon as this summer.
Mr Thompson said drones represent one of the largest opportunities to disrupt the global $217bn (£173bn) parcel logistics market, adding that the technology is key to “getting people what they want, no matter where they live, at a significantly lower cost than they experience today”.
It comes as London-listed Royal Mail is seeking to reform the universal service obligation – a legal obligation for Royal Mail to deliver letters to all addresses in the UK six days a week – amid a drop in letter deliveries.
Separately, Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech billionaire, is trying to take the postal service’s parent company, International Distributions Services, private in a multibillion-pound deal.
Mr Thompson said: “We all want what we want, when we want it, no matter where we live – we have an opportunity of using our technology to make that an affordable reality for everyone.”
Windracers and Royal Mail have conducted joint trials delivering post from the British mainland to islands that typically suffer from slower deliveries.
The company’s autonomous drones, which take off and land like an aeroplane, have a 10-metre wingspan and can carry up to 100 kilograms for 1,000km.
They would be more likely to be used for bulk deliveries to delivery hubs, rather than dropping letters and parcels at doors.
It has secured £30m in funding to date, largely from government grants.
The company has worked with the Royal Navy on trials that could see drones transport supplies between ships and the British Antarctic Survey for scientific research.
Windracers, which was founded by former private equity investor Stephen Wright, has claimed its drones could also be used for delivering humanitarian aid or fighting forest fires.
Mr Thompson said drone technology was currently ahead of regulation, “but that won’t be the case for much longer”.
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