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| Amazon is close to launching a drone delivery service |
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday that Amazon has received federal approval to operate its Prime Air delivery drones fleet. This important event will allow the company to expand the supply of unmanned aircraft.
The agency said that the approval would offer broad concessions to Amazon to "deliver packages to customers safely and efficiently." The certification complies with Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Administration regulations, according to which Amazon can deliver packages on small drones "out of sight" of the operator.
Amazon said it will use Federal Aviation Administration certification to test deliveries to customers. The company added that it had received rigorous training and detailed evidence that the delivery of the UAV was safe.
David Carbon, Vice President of Prime Air, said in a statement: “This certification is a milestone for Prime Air and shows how Amazon, from the Federal Aviation Administration, is operating its standalone drone delivery services. And confidence in security measures. One day it delivers. The package is for our customers around the world. ”We will continue to develop and improve our technology to fully integrate drones into the airspace and work with the Federal Aviation Administration. We will work closely with other organizers around the world to make the vision a reality. "Delivery in 30 minutes."
Amazon added that while the Prime Air fleet isn't ready to roll out a full-scale package right away, it continues to actively test the technology. The company focuses on delivering unmanned aircraft. That's part of the drive to deliver packages to Prime Service members quickly. Since last year, Amazon has also invested billions of dollars to reduce delivery times from two days to one day.
Amazon began testing delivery drones in 2013 with the goal of getting packages to customers in 30 minutes or less. In August 2019, the company filed a petition asking the Federal Aviation Administration to approve these plans. In the petition, Amazon said the delivery would be to sparsely populated areas, with packages weighing no more than 5 pounds.
The company presented an electric drone for the first time at the 2019 conference (Re: MARS). It can deliver packages of as little as 5 pounds to customers in half an hour and travel 15 miles.
Amazon isn't the only company looking to expand commercial drone shipments. This past April, Alphabet's Wing became the first drone delivery company to receive Federal Aviation Administration approval for commercial delivery in the United States. In October, UPS received approval from the United States Aviation Administration to operate a fleet of unmanned aircraft in the United States.