Analysis of the possibility of using autonomous aircraft to deliver parcels-route optimization

Nowadays, the popularity and interest in courier services among customers is constantly growing. This is the reason for introducing new or improving current services by courier companies to the market. The main idea of the courier service has been the same for many years-fast picking up the parcel from the sender and delivering it to the recipient in the shortest possible time. In these days, information systems for shipment tracking are not enough, now the latest trend is the implementation of autonomous aircraft carrying out the delivery process itself. In the last few years, the costs of electronic components and their minimization have resulted in a significant increase in the use of so-called drones or UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle). The production of more efficient batteries with shorter charging times and less mass increased the flight time and enabled the transport of more shipments. In this article, the authors will present current trends related to the automation of the delivery of courier parcels by applying autonomous aircraft. Optimization of the operating parameters of such a system, consisting in shortening the delivery time by planning a collision-free path, choosing a safe height or minimizing energy consumption are key parameters that should be subjected to detailed analysis.