Amazon said Monday that they will be allowed to use drones to test commercial deliveries.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved Amazon Prime Air to test commercial deliveries using drones, Amazon and the FAA told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Amazon Prime Air delivers packages in a half hour or less. (RELATED: Protesters Build Guillotine Outside Jeff Bezos’ Home: ‘If We Don’t Get It, Shut It Down’)
“This certification is an important step forward for Prime Air and indicates the FAA’s confidence in Amazon’s operating and safety procedures for an autonomous drone delivery service that will one day deliver packages to our customers around the world,” David Carbon, vice president of Prime Air at Amazon, said in a statement provided to the DCNF.
“We will continue to develop and refine our technology to fully integrate delivery drones into the airspace, and work closely with the FAA and other regulators around the world to realize our vision of 30 minute delivery,” Carbon continued.
Correction: Amazon wins FAA approval for Prime Air drone delivery fleet. https://t.co/wXmBTROdPX
— CNBC (@CNBC) August 31, 2020
Amazon added in a statement to the DCNF that they are flying and testing even though the Prime Air drones aren’t prepared to begin delivering packages immediately at scale. Amazon started testing drones for delivery in 2013 with a goal to deliver in a half hour or less and sent a petition in 2019 for the FAA’s approval, CNBC reported.
The FAA gave Amazon Prime Air “a Part 135 air carrier certificate using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)” on Friday, the FAA said in a statement to the DCNF and added that “Amazon Prime Air’s concept uses autonomous UAS to safely and efficiently deliver packages to customers.”
“The FAA’s role is to ensure that any UAS operation is performed safely. The FAA supports innovation that is beneficial to the public, especially during a health or weather-related crisis,” the FAA statement continued.
The United Parcel Service Inc. and Wing, a part of Alphabet Inc., are two other companies with FAA approval to deliver using drones, Reuters reported. Other smaller companies are also looking for approval.
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