Current:Home > MyAmazon gets FAA approval allowing it to expand drone deliveries for online orders -FundTrack
Amazon gets FAA approval allowing it to expand drone deliveries for online orders
View
Date:2025-04-14 02:35:37
Federal regulators have given Amazon key permission that will allow it to expand its drone delivery program, the company announced Thursday.
In a blog post published on its website, Seattle-based Amazon said that the Federal Aviation Administration has given its Prime Air delivery service the OK to operate drones “beyond visual line of sight,” removing a barrier that has prevented its drones from traveling longer distances.
With the approval, Amazon pilots can now operate drones remotely without seeing it with their own eyes. An FAA spokesperson said the approval applies to College Station, Texas, where the company launched drone deliveries in late 2022.
Amazon said its planning to immediately scale its operations in that city in an effort to reach customers in more densely populated areas. It says the approval from regulators also “lays the foundation” to scale its operations to more locations around the country.
Businesses have wanted simpler rules that could open neighborhood skies to new commercial applications of drones, but privacy advocates and some airplane and balloon pilots remain wary.
Amazon, which has sought this permission for years, said it received approval from regulators after developing a strategy that ensures its drones could detect and avoid obstacles in the air.
Furthermore, the company said it submitted other engineering information to the FAA and conducted flight demonstrations in front of federal inspectors. Those demonstrations were also done “in the presence of real planes, helicopters, and a hot air balloon to demonstrate how the drone safely navigated away from each of them,” Amazon said.
The FAA’s approval marks a key step for the company, which has had ambitions to deliver online orders through drones for more than a decade. During a TV interview in 2013, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said drones would be flying to customer’s homes within five years. However, the company’s progress was delayed amid regulatory setbacks.
Last month, Amazon said it would close a drone delivery site in Lockeford, California - one of only two in the nation - and open another one later this year in Tolleson, Arizona, a city located west of Phoenix.
By the end of the decade, the company has a goal of delivering 500 million packages by drone every year.
veryGood! (43)
Related
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Kansas governor vetoes ban on gender-affirming care for minors, anti-abortion bills
- Powerball winning numbers for April 13 drawing: Did anyone win $46 million jackpot?
- 2024 Boston Marathon: How to watch, stream, route and start times
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Emma Bates, a top US contender in the Boston Marathon, will try to beat Kenyans and dodge potholes
- Major news organizations urge Biden, Trump to commit to presidential debates
- Judge set to hear motion to dismiss rapper Travis Scott from lawsuit over deadly Astroworld concert
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Golden retriever nicknamed 'The Dogfather' retires after fathering more than 300 guide dogs
Ranking
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Tesla is planning to lay off 10% of its workers after dismal 1Q sales, multiple news outlets report
- Caitlin Clark college cards jump in price as star moves from Iowa to the WNBA
- Ryan Reynolds' Latest Prank Involves the Titanic and That Steamy Drawing
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- Golden retriever nicknamed 'The Dogfather' retires after fathering more than 300 guide dogs
- Dana White announces Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler will headline UFC 303 in June
- 2025 Nissan Kicks: A first look at a working-class hero with top-tier touches
Recommendation
Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
Bayer Leverkusen wins its first Bundesliga title, ending Bayern Munich's 11-year reign
See the fans of Coachella Weekend 1 in photos including Taylor Swift and Paris Hilton
Brittney Griner and Cherelle Griner Expecting First Baby Together
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
A Second Real Housewives of Potomac Star Is Leaving After Season 8
Ryan Reynolds' Latest Prank Involves the Titanic and That Steamy Drawing
Robert MacNeil, longtime anchor of PBS NewsHour nightly newscast, dies at 93