Amazon has won approval from US federal regulators to test a delivery drone outdoors, as the e-commerce company pursues its goal of sending packages to customers by air, facing public concerns about safety and privacy.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said yesterday it issued an experimental airworthiness certificate to an Amazon business unit and its prototype drone, allowing test flights over private, rural land in Washington state.
The FAA also granted Amazon an exemption from other flight restrictions so the experimental drone can conduct these flights.
The approval is a win for Seattle-based Amazon, the largest e-commerce company in the United States, and advances plans by the company and others to deliver packages using small, self-piloted aircraft.
There are limitations, however. The experimental certificate applies to a particular drone and Amazon must obtain a new certification if it modifies the aircraft or flies a different version, making it difficult to adapt the model quickly in the field. Amazon's petition for permission indicated it was testing several iterations of a drone at an indoor facility in Seattle.
Amazon must keep flights below 120 metres and keep the drone in sight, according to the FAA.
The company had asked for permission to fly at altitudes up to 150 metres.
The drone operators must have private pilot licences and current medical certification, and Amazon must supply monthly data to the regulators.
The company did not respond to requests for comment. Amazon public policy chief Paul Misener is set to testify at a congressional hearing on drones next Tuesday.
As part of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' plan to deliver packages under a programme dubbed "Prime Air", the company is developing drones that fly at speeds of 80km per hour, operate autonomously, and sense and avoid objects in their path. Amazon is also working with NASA on an air-traffic management system for drones.
Amazon sought permission from the FAA to test drones in outdoor areas near Seattle, where one of its research and development labs is developing the technology. The company has conducted test flights outside the United States, in countries with looser restrictions.
In February, the FAA proposed long-awaited rules to try to set U.S. guidelines for drones, addressing growing interest from both individual and corporations in using unmanned aerial vehicles. The draft rules must still undergo public comment and revision before becoming final, which is expected to take at least a year.
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