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UPS Gets FAA Permission to Deliver Packages by Drones

Look at the sky for your future UPS package deliveries. UPS has become the first company to receive a full Part 135 Standard certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which allows it to create its one drone airline.
FAA grants UPS permission for drone deliveries 12 photos
Photo: UPS
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UPS has already been working with drones for healthcare deliveries, under the UPS Flight Forward program in Raleigh, North Carolina. For the program, they flew a Matternet M2 quadcopter under government exemption to deliver medical samples and blood for transfusions. With the certification, UPS can expand on the program and, one day, go beyond healthcare to cater to other industries.

The certification is the first one to be granted to a company, UPS says in a release. It allows them to fly as many drones as they see fit, with as many operators. It also does away with the 55-pound limit on the package and allows for nighttime and BVLOS (“beyond visual line of sight”) operation.

“This is history in the making, and we aren’t done yet,” David Abney, UPS chief executive officer, says in the press release. “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.”

“This is a big step forward in safely integrating unmanned aircraft systems into our airspace, expanding access to healthcare in North Carolina and building on the success of the national UAS Integration Pilot Program to maintain American leadership in unmanned aviation,”
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao says of the historical certification.

For the time being, UPS will concentrate on healthcare deliveries, flying medical supplies and samples to centers and hospitals across the U.S. The plan is to extend to other industries as soon as possible, while going through the paces to ensure that all flights are carried out safely.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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