Amazon’s drone delivery service might never get off the ground. Over the weekend, the FAA released a draft of new drone laws, which could nix the online retailer’s ambitious plans.
The proposed new rules, which have still not been passed, would require a drone pilot to have visual contact with the aircraft. In addition, drones cannot fly over people who are not involved in their operation, notes USA Today.
As BetaNews points out, the package delivery drones Amazon planned to use were not human operated. Therefore, they would not be able to use the system, unless they plan on hiring extra operators to be behind each drone. Considering the cost of that, Amazon could just decide that it’s easier to deliver packages through the mail or UPS and FedEx.
However, Paul Misener, Amazon VP for global operations, said the company would still look into drone delivery service.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos first announced the system, called Prime Air, in December 2013 during a 60 Minutes interview. At the time, it was considered a joke by many, but considering how use of drones has increased, it now seems like an idea worth looking into.
The full FAA proposed rules can be found here.
screenshot via Amazon YouTube video
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