Amazon plans to expand its Prime Air drone delivery service to nearly 500 cities and towns across the US by the end of 2026, the company has announced.
Prime Air currently operates from 11 locations across 10 US metropolitan areas in Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas. Amazon plans to launch in the Chicago, Syracuse, Cleveland, Atlanta and Boise metropolitan areas, with further locations to follow.
The company said it has delivered hundreds of thousands of packages by drone this year, with deliveries available in as little as 30 minutes. Each Prime Air site currently serves an area of approximately 175 square miles.
Prime Air operates under an FAA Part 135 air carrier certificate. Amazon said its drones use onboard cameras and sensors for navigation and obstacle detection, while its Detect-and-Avoid system monitors the surrounding airspace and enables the aircraft to make real-time decisions during flight.
The expansion would represent a sixfold increase in Prime Air’s current footprint, according to Amazon.
For more information
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/transportation/amazon-prime-air-drone-delivery-expansion
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