Once approved by the FAA, Amazon can operate Prime Air drones remotely

JAKARTA The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants Amazon additional permits to operate Prime Air drones. Now Amazon can operate drones beyond line of sight. By obtaining this permit, the Prime Air program will be able to be expanded to additional locations. Amazon will deliver packages safely to more customers and in compliance with FAA regulations for long-range drones. “We are pleased to announce that the FAA has granted Prime Air additional permits,” Amazon said. “We are now serving more customers via drone and are successfully expanding and scaling our drone delivery operations.” Amazon explains that it requires all commercial drone operators to monitor drones in close proximity. This rule applies to operators obtaining permits beyond the visual line of sighs (BVLOS), the term for flying drones remotely. The e-commerce company obtained BVLOS approval after developing a strategy that complied with FAA regulations. Amazon has also added detect-and-avoid technology to the drones it uses. “We have spent years developing, testing and refining our detection and avoidance systems to ensure that our drones can detect and avoid obstacles in the air,” Amazon said.

To obtain BVLOS approval, Amazon also submits important engineering information, such as how the system was designed, how it works, how the system is maintained, and how the work system is validated. Amazon is also demonstrating the capabilities of its drones directly in the presence of FAA inspectors. The drone flew in front of planes, helicopters and balloons to show that its technology could avoid other aircraft.

Tag: Amazon e-commerce drone