We all know about Amazons gigantic warehouses from where goods are sent out and we know about their recent ambitious drone delivery service, but now it seems Amazon wants tomarry the two and create a flying warehouse. Patents unearthed by Zoe Leavitt, an analyst for CB Insights, sh0w a patent for an “airborne fulfillment center utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles for item delivery”, ie a flying warehouse.

It is essentially the same as a ground level warehouse but this is an airship with goods and inventory attached to the bottom of it. Smaller airships/drones would keep restocking the inventory and also the refueling needed. When orders are received from customers, smaller drones will then take the duty of delivery from the flying warehouse to the customers premises.

As far fetched as the idea might sound now, it could come in very usual for Amazon. For a start there’ll be less overhead than maintaining a brick-and-mortar warehouse, plus Amazon can strategically move and position the airship as where it thinks there’ll be an upsurge in demand, due to certain yearly events, holidays etc. There’ll also be less fuel costs involved as delivering would not have to negotiate heavy road traffic and can instead fly straight ‘as-a-crow’ distance through the air. Still, even though the patent has been given since April, it remains to be seen if aviation authorities will give Amazon the go ahead for a flying warehouse.