Amazon to expand drone delivery service after clearing FAA hurdle – NBC Chicago

• Amazon has cleared a key regulatory hurdle that will allow it to increase drone deliveries.
• The FAA has allowed Amazon to fly drones beyond the line of sight of a ground observer, allowing it to fly longer distances.
• Amazon’s drone program, called Prime Air, has struggled to come to fruition since Jeff Bezos first outlined his vision for the service more than a decade ago.

Amazon said Thursday it has received federal approval to fly delivery drones longer distances without the need for ground observers, eliminating a key regulatory hurdle and opening the door for the company to scale the service to more parts of the United States.

Previously, Amazon had to fly drones in front of a pilot. The Federal Aviation Administration permit allows Amazon to operate flights beyond the observer’s reach.

The company said it would expand its delivery area to College Station, Texas, one of the cities where it conducted tests.

Amazon received the approval after developing collision-avoidance technology onboard its drones, enabling them to “detect and avoid mid-air obstacles.” The technology has proven to be a key tool for other drone companies like Zipline that want to operate beyond visual line of sight, or BVLOS.

E-commerce giant Prime Air’s drone delivery service has been struggling since Amazon’s founding Jeff Bezos presented his vision for the program more than a decade ago.

Amazon said it will begin testing deliveries in 2022 in College Station, Texas, about 100 miles northwest of Houston, and in Lockeford, a city south of Sacramento, where the program was initially met with some skepticism from residents.

Last year, Prime Air saw layoffs as part of broader layoffs at Amazon. The group also faced regulatory setbacks and executive departures. Last month, Amazon said it would end its drone operations in California and begin deliveries near Phoenix, Arizona later this year.

In 2025, it also plans to further expand to other US cities. The company says it aims to deliver 500 million parcels a year by drones by the end of the decade.

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