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AFP
Published
Apr 20, 2015
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Switzerland: Swiss Post will test drone deliveries this summer

By
AFP
Published
Apr 20, 2015

This summer, the Swiss postal service La Poste will test package deliveries using drones, it announced on Sunday. The service should be especially useful in a country with many villages located in remote mountain valleys.

A drone carrying a package - Philippe Cassan


"We will carry out tests this summer," said Bernhard Bürki, a spokesman for the Post Office, confirming a report published in the Swiss media. "For a logistics specialist like La Poste, this could be interesting," he added, but said that the Swiss company doesn’t yet have details.

The pilot project will be carried out in collaboration with SwissWorldCargo and US drone manufacturer Matternet.

La Poste is not the first to venture into the sector. The online sales giant Amazon received permission in March to test drone flights in the US that could eventually allow it to deliver products to its customers. 

The private use of these small, unmanned aircrafts - originally designed more for military purposes - is booming, but raises questions in terms of safety and possible violations of privacy.

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