Google spinoff Wing Aviation LLC has become the first drone delivery company to receive the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) approval as an airline. So Wing can make commercial deliveries within the U.S.
With the same certifications that smaller airlines receive from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation, Wing is going to start routine deliveries of small products in two rural communities in Virginia within the next few months according to Bloomberg.
This plan has received unanimous approval from local elected officials in southwest Virginia according to Montgomery County Administrator Craig Meadows. “Our community is very excited to be the birthplace of drone delivery in the United States,” said Meadows in a statement.
Currently, drone regulations prohibit most drone flights over urban areas and crowds. However, the FAA approved Wing to make deliveries for goods in Virginia and the ability to apply for other areas.
A number of drone companies have received FAA waivers for setting up demonstration flights and making deliveries over short distances, but this is the first approval designed for ensuring safety at the same level as smaller airlines.
For Wing to receive approval, the company had to create extensive manuals and set up training routines just like any other air carrier. And companies that receive permission must also be majority-owned by U.S. citizens.
“It’s an exciting moment for us to have earned the FAA’s approval to actually run a business with our technology,” said Wing CEO James Burgess in an interview via Bloomberg. Burgess pointed out that this approval was “pivotal” for both Wing and the drone industry as a whole.
Earlier this month, Wing also received approval from CASA in Australia for making deliveries in Canberra to about 100 homes following an 18 month trial to about 3,000 deliveries.
