Amazon receives FAA approval for new drone as it begins testing in Arizona

Amazon announced Tuesday that it had received regulatory approval to fly a smaller, quieter version of its delivery drone. This is the latest step in his long-term efforts to get the futuristic program off the ground.

The company introduced the new drone called MK30 in November 2022. At the time, it was said that in addition to the other changes, the MK30 would also fly in light rain and have twice the range of previous models.

Amazon said the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval includes permission to fly the MK30 over longer distances and beyond the pilots’ line of sight. The agency granted a similar exemption to Amazon’s Prime Air program in May, but it was limited to flights in College Station, Texas, one of the cities where it has conducted testing.

In addition to the FAA approval, Matt McCardle, director of regulatory affairs for Prime Air, said the company will begin delivering drones on Tuesday near Phoenix, Arizona. In April, Amazon said it planned to restart drone operations in Tolleson, a city west of Phoenix, after closing an earlier test site in Lockeford, California. The company will deploy the drones near one of its warehouses in Tolleson to further integrate Prime Air into its existing logistics network and further speed up deliveries.

An FAA spokesman said the agency gave Amazon permission on Oct. 31 to make deliveries beyond line of sight in Tolleson.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos first unveiled plans for the ambitious service more than a decade ago, noting at the time that the program could be operational within five years. Although Amazon is investing billions of dollars in the program, progress has been slow.

Prime Air encountered regulatory hurdles, missed deadlines and layoffs last year, coinciding with sweeping cost-cutting efforts by CEO Andy Jassy. The program also lost several key leaders, including its key liaison to the FAA and its founding director. Amazon stopped earlier Boeing Managing director David Carbon takes over management of the operation.

It has also faced resistance from some residents in the cities where it is testing drone deliveries. Residents in College Station complained so much about the noise levels that the city’s mayor expressed the concerns in a letter to the FAA, CNBC previously reported. In response, Amazon executives told residents that the company would identify a new launch site for drone delivery by October 2025.

Amazon isn’t the only company trying to crack drone delivery. It competes with Wing, which is owned by Google’s parent company alphabet; UPS; Walmart; and a variety of startups including Zipline and Matternet.