DPD France, part of Groupe La Poste, has announced that it is using drones to deliver small parcels to a remote mountain town.
The subsidiary has received authorisation for drone parcel delivery on a regular commercial line in Isère, which links Fontanil-Cornillon to the village of Mont-Saint-Martin.
Previously, to go to Mont-Saint-Martin, a driver had to make a 20km (12.5-mile) round trip that lasted some 30 minutes. However, the new drone delivery line means that delivery vans can now avoid mountain roads, thus reducing the parcel delivery route to 3km (1.8 miles) for a round-trip flight of 8 minutes.
Delivery by drone is provided from a mobile terminal installed on the delivery van’s side door to aid safe take-off and landing. The mobile terminal was developed in partnership with French company Atechsys, located in the Var.
During delivery, the drone operates automatically, albeit under the remote supervision of an operator certified by the Aviation Safety Agency.
Upon delivery in Mont-Saint-Martin, the parcels are deposited by drone in a secure, fixed receiving terminal at the town hall.
A delivery receipt is then sent via SMS/email to a town hall employee, who is able to retrieve the parcel from the terminal before hand delivering it to the final recipient.
Once the parcel has been delivered, the drone returns to the van and the driver continues their round.
