--- title: "Amazon Gets Permission to Start Making Drone Deliveries" description: "Amazon Prime Air, the retail giant's drone delivery company, was designated an \"air carrier\" by the Federal Aviation Administration today." date: "2020-08-31" modified: "2020-08-31" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/amazon-permission-start-drone-deliveries" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "Amazon" - "amazon prime air" - "drone delivery" - "the digest" --- # Amazon Gets Permission to Start Making Drone Deliveries ![Amazon Prime Air, the retail giant's drone delivery company, was designated an "air carrier" by the Federal Aviation Administration today.]() *\Image: Amazon\* ## Carrier Status Amazon Prime Air, the retail giant's drone delivery project, was just [designated]() an "air carrier" by the Federal Aviation Administration today, as [*Bloomberg* reports]() — meaning it can start trialing drone package deliveries. “\[curly\] This certification is an important step forward for Prime Air and indicates the FAA’s confidence in Amazon’s operating and safety procedures for an autonomous drone delivery service that will one day deliver packages to our customers around the world,” David Carbon, an Amazon vice president who oversees Prime Air, said in a statement, as quoted by *Bloomberg*. ## Airdrop Other companies, including Alphabet subsidiary Wing and UPS, have already received the same approval. "Amazon Prime Air's concept uses autonomous \[unmanned aircraft systems\] to safely and efficiently deliver packages to customers," a spokesperson for the FAA said, [according to *CNET*](). "The FAA supports innovation that is beneficial to the public, especially during a health or weather-related crisis." ## Schedule Unclear It's still unclear when Amazon Prime Air will start making its own delivery test flights. Jeff Wilke, Amazon's CEO of worldwide consumer, [told *CNN* in June]() that deliveries could start in a matter of "months." Last year, the company [showed off]() its newest drone — a transforming aircraft that can fly like a helicopter and an airplane as well — that's capable of carrying five pound packages to costumers within a 15 mile radius. The FAA is now looking to overhaul its regulation framework to allow drones to fly over populated areas. According to *Bloomberg*, new rules will require most drones to broadcast their identities and locations at all times. **READ MORE:** [Amazon’s Drone Delivery Fleet Hits Milestone With FAA Clearance]() \[*Bloomberg*\] **More on drone deliveries:** *[Ben & Jerry’s Is Testing a Drone Delivery System for Ice Cream]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()