Amazon Prime Air, the company’s planned system of drone delivery, was first proposed by Jeff Bezos in 2013 and began trials shortly afterward. Despite the fact that the company successfully delivered its first package in 2016, the prospect of getting books or discounted shoes delivered by drones remained just out of reach for the rest of us – until now.

On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Amazon federal approval for its fleets of drones, opening the door for Prime Air’s widespread deployment. This approval grants the e-commerce giant a greater range of freedoms to run this program, including the ability to fly drones “beyond the visual line of sight.”

Amazon has not yet commented on this development. The petition for this approval was first submitted to the FAA in August. In it, Amazon pledged that these drone deliveries would only be conducted in less populated areas and would only be used for products smaller than five pounds.

The company has also stated that these kinds of deliveries would only be made with 10 miles of its fulfillment centers. Amazon operates 175 fulfillment centers around the world, with the majority based in North America and Europe.

The plan is for these Prime Air drones to be able to deliver packages to customers as quickly as the neighborhood pizza place, 30 minutes or less. In June 2019, Amazon showed off its latest delivery drone technology at its re:MARS conference, boasting that the drones could fly as fast as 15 miles per hour.

There is no timeline for the widespread implementation of these drones, but Jeff Wilke, the company’s outgoing CEO of worldwide consumer, said at re:MARS that they could be used in “within months.” With over a year past since that estimate, Prime Air could be available sooner rather than later.

In the Covid economy, there are winners and losers -- e-commerce giants such as Amazon, show rising profits and sales but traditional retail outlets have been shedding jobs by the thousand
In the Covid economy, there are winners and losers -- e-commerce giants such as Amazon, show rising profits and sales but traditional retail outlets have been shedding jobs by the thousand AFP / DENIS CHARLET
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