UPS Opens Its First Drone Airline

The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has granted the logistics giant permission to establish a drone business (UPS Flight Forward). UPS has announced that it will be the first to be identified by the FAA as a commercial airline.

A Groundbreaking FAA Certificate

This is a significant step forward in years of efforts to bring drones into operation in America. The FAA issued a document called Part 135 Standard certification to the company UPS Flight Forward. (Operators of private jets and others who operate in the air "on demand" rather than according to schedules receive the same certificate). Thanks to the certification, UPS has the right to operate as many drones as it wants, in any number of locations. The company is already preparing to expand its drone delivery service beyond the Wakemed hospital campus in Raleigh, North Carolina, where it has been testing the service since March.

"The first step has been taken," says Bala Ganesh, Director of the Advanced Technology Group at UPS. However, much remains to be done - and many limitations to overcome. UPS has a drone airline, but it still needs an FAA waiver every time it wants to launch a flight beyond the operator's visual line of sight. (Last week, with that permission, it launched its first commercial flight at the Raleigh hospital.)

First Results from Raleigh

Over the past six months in Raleigh, UPS has conducted more than 1,000 flights, transporting blood samples and medication supplies on the hospital campus. This service has brought "significant economic value," says Ganesh. His team will launch similar services at other hospital campuses in the coming weeks, and specific locations will be announced soon.

Summary

UPS has received Part 135 Standard certification from the FAA, making it the first commercial drone airline in the US. The company has the right to operate a fleet of drones without individual approvals for each flight, but it still needs waivers for operations beyond the operator's line of sight. More than 1,000 flights with blood samples and medications have already been conducted at the Wakemed hospital in Raleigh, which according to Director Bala Ganesh has brought significant economic value.

In the coming weeks, UPS plans to expand its services to other hospital campuses. This is an important step in the commercialization of drones that could set standards for the entire logistics industry.