Amazon is set to shut down a fulfilment center, affecting 590 jobs. The closure of the Milton Keynes site, Amazon’s first center established in 1998, is under consultation. Employees impacted will have the option to relocate to the new Northampton site or other facilities.

The new £500 million Northampton building, slated to open in May, will initially hire 1,400 staff, with plans to increase to 2,000. Meanwhile, the Amazon sortation center in Milton Keynes, a separate part of the logistics operations, will remain unaffected.

An Amazon spokesperson mentioned that the decision to close the Milton Keynes fulfillment center is part of ongoing network evaluations to align with business requirements and enhance the overall employee and customer experiences. The priority remains to support affected employees during this transition.

In a separate development, Amazon has started testing drone flights in preparation for launching an airborne delivery service in the UK by 2026. The company initiated limited drone flights from its Darlington base but has not yet introduced the drone delivery service to customers.

Once launched, eligible Amazon customers in Darlington will be able to receive packages weighing less than five pounds within two hours. Amazon confirmed the trial drone flights from the Darlington fulfillment center and anticipates the official service launch in 2026, collaborating closely with Darlington Council and the Civil Aviation Authority throughout the process.

The drones have been engineered to operate quietly, with noise levels comparable to traditional van deliveries. Advanced technology onboard the drones ensures obstacle detection and avoidance, as well as monitoring of surrounding airspace during flight to prevent any potential collisions.