Amazon Drone Delivery To Expand: Receives FAA Approval
Soon you’ll be looking at the sky to see deliveries carried out by drones. Amazon announced that it has officially received federal approval to fly its delivery drones longer distances without the need for ground spotters, which will allow the company to fly farther distances.
A report from CNBC said that previously, Amazon was required to fly its drones within a pilot’s view. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) approval allows Amazon to conduct flights beyond an observer’s line of sight.
Amazon said it will expand its delivery area in College Station, Texas. This is one of the cities where it has been conducting tests.
How did Amazon get approval from the FAA?
The company received approval after it developed a collision-avoidance technology onboard the drones, enabling them to “detect and avoid obstacles in the air.” According to CNBC, the technology has been a key tool for other drone delivery companies, such as Zipline, looking to operate beyond visual line of sight or BVLOS.
In 2022, Amazon said it would begin testing deliveries in College Station, Texas, about 100 miles northwest of Houston, and Lockeford, a town south of Sacramento.
Last month, Amazon said it would end its drone operations in California and begin deliveries near Phoenix, Arizona, later this year.
The company is also considering further expanding to other U.S. cities in 2025. They said it aims to deliver 500 million packages by drone per year by the end of the decade.
Amazon Isn’t the only company dabbling with drone delivery.
Earlier this year, Walmart started offering drone delivery for up to 75% of the Dallas-Fort Worth population. The deliveries are made by on-demand drone delivery providers, Wing and Zipline. Both are approved by the FAA to fly their drones without a dedicated observer being able to see the drone at all times.
“Drone delivery gives customers an even faster delivery option, getting items to them in 30 minutes or less and some deliveries can happen as fast as 10 minutes,” said the company.
Domino’s has been doing drone delivery trials for the past year. They partnered with drone technology company SkyDrop. According to the company, they made the “world’s first pizza delivery” by drone in 2016.
It all comes down to convenience and speed.
According to Forbes, today, drones can cover distances up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) in under 30 minutes. “That means island communities can receive goods in minutes [without] having to wait days for ship schedules,” they stated.
Drone delivery is no longer a sci-fi dream, it’s a reality.
