David Carbon, Vice President of Amazon Prime Air
"We will further develop technology to realize Amazon's vision of 30-minute delivery"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Amazon, the world's largest e-commerce company, has received operational approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its delivery drone 'Prime Air,' CNBC reported on the 31st (local time).
According to the report, with this FAA operational approval, Amazon can now deliver packages to customers safely and efficiently.
Amazon plans to begin drone test deliveries to customers after securing FAA approval. The company explained that to obtain this approval, it underwent rigorous training and demonstrated drone delivery technology in front of FAA inspectors, submitting detailed evidence proving the safety of drone deliveries.
Last August, Amazon applied to the FAA for delivery drone approval, stating that it would operate only in low population density areas and deliver packages weighing approximately 2.3 kg or less.
David Carbon, Vice President of Amazon Prime Air, said, "This approval represents the FAA's trust in Amazon's technology to operate autonomous drone delivery that can send packages to customers worldwide within a day."
Vice President Carbon added, "To realize Amazon's vision of '30-minute delivery,' we will further develop delivery drone technology and work closely with the FAA and regulatory authorities worldwide."
Amazon began testing drones in 2013 with the goal of delivering to customers within 30 minutes.
Amazon is making large-scale investments to shorten delivery times for Prime members, its paid membership customers.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., Wing, owned by Alphabet, Google's parent company, was the first to receive FAA approval for commercial drone delivery in April last year, followed by logistics company UPS in October last year.
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