Amazon offers drone deliveries in a couple of US states.
The BBC was given exclusive access to see the Prime Air service in action in the small Californian town of Lockeford.
Eligible customers were able to order small items and get them delivered in under an hour, with the drone able to avoid obstacles and find a designated spot to drop the package on the ground.
But there is still a long way to go before Amazon’s drones will be flying parcels over Darlington.
Crucially, it needs clearance from the CAA to use the airspace.
Amazon has been chosen by the regulator to take part in new trials to expand the use of drones in the UK.
It is one of six organisations now trialling flights without operators needing to maintain physical sight of them, although Amazon has not revealed where this is taking place.
In a statement the CAA said it was working with companies to make drone operations beyond visual line of sight “a safe and every day reality”.
