Amazon Air drones have sky-high goals, cleared by FAA to expand flights

Amazon Air has been given clearance by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly its delivery drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), which means flying the drone where the remote pilot cannot see it “directly through their own eyes.” Amazon announced the certificate on Thursday, May 30, stating that the clearance will allow it to delivery more packages faster than ever.

Amazon Air has been in operation since 2020, but now a remote pilot can operate and control the drone from afar. The tech giant touted that the new clearance will allow it to deliver thousands of more packages per year.

As for safety, Amazon said that it has done extensive testing with the drones. Amazon stated that it needed several advancements in its drone technology to earn BVLOS permission, which includes employing an “onboard detect and avoid system,” which has been used in real-world scenarios. The drones demonstrated how they could maneuver around real planes, helicopters and a hot air balloon. The company said that after extensive research and testing, the technology is safe to deploy.

The company plans to integrate the fleet of drones into its larger delivery network by the end of the year. However, for now, Amazon will just be allowed to perform drone deliveries around its fulfillment center in College Station, Texas.

Prime Air testing is currently underway in Arizona, California and Italy. Amazon said its ultimate goal is to deliver 500 million packages via delivery drones per year by the end of the decade.

“We received an Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA in 2020 that allowed Amazon to operate as an airline and deliver small packages via drone,” the company said in a statement. “With that certification and the newly granted permission to fly beyond the line of sight, we’re laying the foundation to scale drone delivery for customers.”

The company said that its current drones can perform a delivery in less than an hour, but that the new clearance and new drones allows a new goal of offering a delivery in 30 minutes or less.