On Thursday, Amazon announced that it has received federal approval to fly its delivery drones for longer distances with no ground spotters.
Initially, the regulations prohibited Amazon from flying its drones beyond the pilot’s line of sight. The approval by the United States Federal Aviation Administration will enable the eCommerce company to increase drone delivery to more parts of the United States and worldwide.
Amazon’s drone delivery service, Prime Air, will expand its outreach in College Station, Texas, and other cities where it has been conducting tests.
The FAA granted the approval after the company incorporated a collision-avoidance technology in its drones. This technology enables the drones to accurately detect and avoid obstacles in the air.
Over nine years before the development of the collision-avoidance tech, the drone delivery service faced numerous operational struggles.
In 2022, Amazon revealed plans to start delivery trials in College Station, Texas, about 100 miles northwest of Houston, and in Lockeford, a town south of Sacramento. Initially, residents in Lockeford approached the program with some skepticism.
The following year, Prime Air faced layoffs as part of a larger wave of job cuts at Amazon, along with regulatory setbacks and executive departures. In April, the company announced it would end its drone operations in California and concentrate on deliveries around Arizona and Phoenix.
According to Amazon, further expansion into other U.S. cities is in its plan for 2025. The company aims to deliver 500 million packages annually by drone by the end of the decade.