Dive Brief:
- Amazon has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to test its Prime Air drones.
- Under the new exemption, Amazon's drones will be restricted to flying under 400 feet and slower than 100 miles per hour. They can also only fly during the day and within the operator's direct line of sight.
- Amazon's exemption will last two years.
Dive Insight:
Amazon has been at odds with aviation regulators over its drone program for a while, which it would like to use to cut back ship times. But these new regulations hardly give it a hall pass to cut lose with its drone R&D. The parameters of the exemption — particularly having to keep the drone within the operator's direct line of sight and only fly it over private property — might hinder Amazon's vision of a large fleet of delivery drones fulfilling every sort of order.
What's important about this exemption is that it opens the door to drone testing by other companies. According to the Washington Post, the FAA has started offering "summary grants" of approval for individual pending applications. This new method sidesteps the traditional approval procedure, speeding up the process for drone testing approval.
