Amazon Receives FAA Approval to Fly Drones Farther Than Before for Prime Air Service
The FAA has approved Amazon’s Air Prime drone operations to widen in scale with operations beyond visual line of sight. Learn more about the development and its implications for Amazon’s ecommerce operations.
- Amazon is set to expand its drone delivery operations after receiving approval from the FAA to make deliveries beyond visual line of sight.
- The approval will allow Amazon to scale its operations across multiple locations in the US, in a major transition for the company.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has permitted Amazon to expand its drone delivery program, now allowing operations beyond visual line of sight. The development allows the company to fly drones to much farther distances than before, essentially allowing Amazon’s pilots to run remote operations without needing to see the drones with their own eyes.
Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) is an aviation term where remote pilots can’t see drones directly with their own eyes. Instead, they would rely on instruments and technology to handle drone operations.
This is a significant upgrade to Amazon’s Air Prime service, which introduced drone deliveries in 2022 in a city in Texas. Amazon has stated that with the new permit, the ecommerce giant would boost operations to reach consumers in more populated areas, with an eventual objective of spreading to multiple locations across the US.
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While such permission opens doors to businesses to seek similar operations, concerns about customer privacy and dangers to various aircraft remain prominent. According to Amazon, however, the company only received permission after creating a strategy to effectively allow drones to detect and avoid mid-air collisions, with flight demonstrations before federal inspectors with real aircraft being involved.
The move comes when Amazon has decided to set up a new drone delivery site in Lockeford, California, and Tolleson, Arizona, by the end of 2024. The company has set an ambitious goal of 500 million drone-powered package deliveries annually. Whether Amazon manages to operate the new drone delivery system without mishaps remains to be seen.
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