Prime Air drone delivery expanding following FAA approval

Flying commercial drones for complex operations, such as package delivery, comes with its own hurdles. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has regulations that must be adhered to, and approval is required. Amazon has been working tirelessly to develop Prime Air for the last few years. After various tests and observations, the FAA has recently offered them Beyond Visual Line Of Sight approval in New College, Texas, allowing Amazon to begin their drone delivery expansion plan.

What is Prime Air?

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced his plans for Prime Air over ten years ago, in 2013. It’s a commercial drone delivery service with a simple vision; to create a safe and scalable way to deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less using highly autonomous drones.

Amazon decided to build their own aircraft to accommodate their complex needs for drone package delivery. They began inventing, testing and developing in Canada and overseas before receiving the go-ahead for US testing in 2015.

Safety was a huge issue. They had to work on collision technology and had many controversial suggestions for the FAA. The biggest controversy was suggesting a dedicated drone flying space be created to avoid manned aircraft. Their first successful drone delivery was on the 7th of December 2016 in Cambridge, UK.

In 2020, Amazon received an Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA that allowed them to operate as an airline and deliver small packages via drone. In 2022, they officially launched the first of their drone delivery sites in Lockeford, California and New College, Texas. Customers within a 4-mile radius could choose Prime Air for their quick, efficient product delivery.

Now the FAA has provided this new approval, Amazon will be opening a new drone delivery site in Tolleson, Arizona, at the end of this year. Their goal is to deliver 500 million packages per year by drone by the end of this decade. Well, the latest FAA approval may just help them reach it.

What has the FAA approved exactly?

The recent approval is for a very specific element of drone flight, but a major factor in Prime Air’s expansion. The FAA requires all drone operators to maintain a line of sight to their drones until they approve the technologies that allow drones to be flown beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).

Amazon developed a BVLOS strategy. This included onboard detect-and-avoid technology so the drones could avoid obstacles in the air. They submitted crucial engineering information, which showed how their system was designed, operated and maintained, essentially displaying how the system performs to the specified requirements. Amazon had to conduct real-world flight trials with FAA inspectors, as well as provide extensive analysis and test data for its technology in order to prove the safety of its drone delivery service.

The FAA has granted Amazon BVLOS permissions, allowing them to expand their drone delivery service specifically in New College, Texas. Later this year, drone deliveries will be integrated into their delivery network so customers within a wider range of their New College site will benefit from this new delivery service.

What are the benefits of drone delivery?

Quick delivery

The main benefit of drone delivery is speed and efficiency. Customers want quick turnarounds, which is why the same-day delivery option was a hit. If they can get their purchases delivered in less than 30 minutes into the safety of their back garden, that’s even better.

Lower emissions

Amazon has been working on The Climate Pledge for some time. They plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement. Drone delivery has zero emissions, contributing towards their climate-friendly delivery plans.

What’s the future for Prime Air?

Each area Amazon chooses to expand to requires FAA approval. Now that their drone development has passed safety regulations, it looks like they’ll continue to expand across the US before looking into overseas expansion. With Arizona planned for the end of this year, they have stated that they, ‘will open further U.S. locations in 2025.‘ They also announced that new drone delivery stations will open in Italy and the UK at the end of 2024. Precise locations are yet to be revealed.

Amazon is currently developing a new delivery drone, the MK30. Whilst the current drone is good for clear-weather flight, the MK30 includes innovative safety features that allow it to operate in more diverse weather conditions including light rain. It can also deliver packages up to 5 pounds to smaller backyards and more densely populated areas, plus it’s quieter and can fly twice as far as their current drone. They hope the drone will be ready to make deliveries later in 2024, replacing all their current drones, just in time for their new drone delivery destinations opening.

So what do you think of Prime Air? Many have questioned, especially over the last couple of years, whether it would take off (excuse the pun!) but it looks like they’re starting to get their foot in the door. Watch this space for more news on Amazon’s drone development and delivery destinations.