RALEIGH, N.C., - United Parcel Service (UPS) said Tuesday it has received government approval to operate a drone airline. The approval came last Friday, UPS disclosed. UPS says it immediately launched the first drone delivery flight by any company under what is known as the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 135 Standard at WakeMed’s hospital campus in Raleigh, N.C. The flight was flown under a government exemption allowing for “beyond visual line of sight” operation, writes Brian Sozzi for Yahoo. Continue reading original article
The Intelligent Aerospace take:
October 2, 2019-“This is history in the making, and we aren’t done yet,” said UPS CEO David Abney in a statement. “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 March, UPS initiated the first FAA-sanctioned use of a drone for routine revenue flights involving the transport of a product. The FAA approval was for a contractual delivery agreement in the United States at WakeMed’s flagship hospital and campus in Raleigh, N.C. In this program, the company delivers medical samples via unmanned drones, supplementing a ground courier service. UPS intends to expand its drone delivery service to other hospitals or campus settings. With the FAA approval, UPS plans to move beyond medical deliveries in Raleigh.
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Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace
