Amazon says it is expanding its Prime Air drone delivery system to international locations, and adding a third city in the United States by the end of next year.
The retail giant currently offers drone delivery in Lockeford, California, and College Station, Texas. It has also begun delivering prescription medicines via drones in College Station. But beginning in late 2024, Amazon customers in Italy, the United Kingdom, and an additional US city will also have the option to get their packages delivered by a drone.
Amazon says it is working closely with national and international regulators, as well as communities in the EU, Italy, the UK, and the US, to develop its drone delivery program. “We have committed the necessary time and resources to build a safe and scalable service. We have refined the technology, and are now building the right infrastructure to ensure the service provides the ultimate convenience for our customers,” a statement from Amazon says.
Though the company has not revealed the names of the specific cities where drone delivery will take flight in the US and abroad, Amazon stresses three new locations will become operational by the end of 2024.
“Once available, eligible Amazon customers can opt-in to drone delivery and choose from thousands of items that weigh five pounds or less — including household products, everyday essentials, beauty items, and office/tech supplies,” says Amazon.
Policymakers are also looking forward to Amazon bringing ultra-fast drone delivery to their countries. Pierluigi Di Palma, president of Italy’s national civil aviation authority ENAC, stresses that Italy’s experience will be an inspiration and support for safe drone delivery operations in the rest of Europe.
Frederic Laugere, head of innovation advisory services at the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), adds:
It is vital that projects such as this take place to feed into the overall knowledge and experiences that will soon enable drones to operate beyond the line of sight of their pilot on a day-to-day basis, while also still allowing safe and equitable use of the air by other users.
Read more: New firmware for DJI Osmo Action 4 improves Wi-Fi livestream
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments