Amazon says it has received approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to begin limited parcel delivery flights using drones. The CAA, the UK’s independent aviation regulator, has granted permissions under strict operational and compliance conditions from an aviation perspective, but other compliance considerations remain.

Initial flights have apparently started from Amazon’s Darlington fulfilment centre, with the full Prime Air service expected to launch later in 2026. Prime Air aims to deliver packages of up to 5 lbs to customers within two hours.

The MK30 drones, designed to minimize noise, use advanced machine learning to navigate and avoid obstacles. Amazon says that customers in the Darlington area who opt in will be among the first to experience this new service – but how will their personal data be safeguarded?

Data protection considerations

Drone technology introduces unique privacy challenges. Amazon’s own FAQs confirm that drones use cameras and sensors to navigate and may record overhead video of people and property near delivery locations. 

While customers can request removal of aerial imagery, it’s unclear whether this applies only to their address or to broader incidental footage.

Key questions remain, including:

• Will updated privacy notices and Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) be published?
• How will Amazon apply the six data protection principles—particularly data minimisation, purpose limitation, and security?
• Will Amazon seek to use the personal data captured for other purposes?
• Any vulnerabilities to hacking the drones while in flight, which could obviously lead to serious consequences.

It will be interesting to see how Amazon seeks to deal with these questions and the potential risks and how the market more generally will adapt given that this type of activity is likely to increase.