SAN FRANCISCO, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Amazon has received approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly its delivery drones longer distances, the company announced on Thursday.
The FAA requires that all commercial drone operators maintain a line of sight for their drones until it approves a technology that can safely enable drones to fly beyond the visual line of sight.
Amazon said it spent years developing Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) technology for its drones to ensure they can detect and avoid obstacles in the air. The company showcased the technology for FAA inspectors.
The announcement comes after Alphabet's Wing received an FAA exemption last December to fly its drones beyond the visual line of sight.
In a press release, Amazon said the approval allows it to "serve more customers via drone and effectively expand and scale drone delivery operations."
It needed the FAA approval to achieve its goal of using drones to deliver 500 million packages per year by the end of this decade, the company said.
