Competitors Outpace Amazon’s Prime Air Drone Delivery Service

Amazon faces competition in drone delivery services, with Walmart service provider Droneup reporting 110,000 drone deliveries in the USA, while Alphabet subsidiary Wing and Zipline report 330,000 and 600,000 deliveries respectively, although many were outside of the US market. The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has so far allowed exemptions for individual providers such as Amazon, Wing, Zipline, UPS and Causey Aviation Unmanned. Although Amazon requested less restrictions on its drone models in 2021, citing a newer safer model, the FAA was not convinced and remains focused on preventing collisions in the air or on the ground. The FAA is now seeking industry comment on the technical methods for avoiding collisions between drones, and is planning to set new rules in the summer for general permission to fly below 400 feet above the ground.