As technology has improved and regulations have eased, unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, have increasingly made their way into the conversation around home delivery. With companies such as Amazon, Walmart, UPS, Google, and global postal companies investing in drone delivery projects, it is only a matter of time before drone parcel delivery service becomes a widespread reality.  

This week, Amazon received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate its fleet of Prime Air delivery drones and will begin limited tests of package deliveries to customers in the United States. The Prime Air delivery system is designed to safely get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less using drones. The program has great potential to enhance services that are already provided to millions of customers by enabling faster package delivery while increasing the overall safety and efficiency of the last mile delivery system. 

Amazon wasn’t the only company seeking to expand commercial drone deliveries – it now joins the United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) and Wing in gaining approval to operate air fleets for tests involving domestic customer deliveries. Last year, Wing, owned by Alphabet, became the first drone delivery company to receive FAA approval for commercial deliveries in the U.S.  

In October 2019, UPS received FAA certification to operate a fleet of drones as an airline. “This is history in the making, and we aren’t done yet,” said David Abney, UPS chief executive officer. “Our technology is opening doors for UPS and solving problems in unique ways for our customers. We will soon announce other steps to build out our infrastructure, expand services for healthcare customers and put drones to new uses in the future.” 

In August 2019, Alphabet announced that its drone delivery arm, Wing, would begin delivering goods for FedEx Express, Walgreens, and another small retailer. The goal of the drone delivery pilot program was to prove that Wing’s drones were ready to deliver health care products, fulfill last mile delivery needs, reduce traffic, reduce carbon emissions, and help local retailers. Project Wing has been conducting trials in Virginia since 2016 and in June 2020, they announced the program was successfully using drones to deliver books to students in Virginia to assist with remote learning. 

This presents new opportunities nationwide for ecommerce. Essential goods like medicine or food can now be delivered faster by drone, providing greater autonomy to those who need assistance with mobility. Companies who are able to receive Air Carrier Certification will be able to begin a commercial service delivering packages from local businesses to homes in the United States. Drones reduce road traffic, pollution, and carbon emissions. The future of drone delivery is near, and Amazon has already begun testing the Prime Air delivery service in multiple locations globally. 

There have been plenty of trials of drones for home delivery. The FAA has loosened restrictions and selected a few companies to help establish technical requirements for home delivery. If Amazon and other companies can work out the operational obstacles associated with drone package delivery, this could be just the beginning of an exciting future for drones and ecommerce.