How UPS Is Becoming a Leader in Drone Delivery

A while back, Amazon made headlines when it announced it was exploring the possibilities of drone delivery services to get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less. But while Amazon’s Prime Air service hasn’t yet gotten off the ground, UPS is quietly poised to become a leader in drone delivery services. Here’s a look at the latest news.

Part 135 Certification

At the beginning of October 2019, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that it had granted the first full Part 135 certification not to Amazon Prime Air, but to UPS. This certification is significant because it authorizes UPS to use an unlimited number of remote operators to fly any amount of drones for any number of flights. It’s authorized to carry cargo of up to 55 pounds, fly at night, and fly beyond the operator’s visual line of sight. Previously, the DOT had only granted a restricted Part 135 certification to a drone operator called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company). However, this certification was severely restricted. Wing was only allowed to operate in Christiansberg, Virginia.

UPS Flight Forward

Flight Forward is the drone delivery subsidiary set up by UPS. While other announced drone delivery programs have focused on consumer goods and takeout food (e.g. Amazon and Domino’s), Flight Forward has its sights set on a loftier goal. Don’t expect Flight Forward to deliver your morning latte to your door any time soon, as the program is planning to expand its drone network to hospitals instead. So far, Flight Forward has operated over 1,000 drone deliveries at the WakeMed hospital campus in Raleigh, North Carolina. Here, drones fly blood samples across campus in a matter of minutes—something previously that might have taken up to 30 traffic-jammed minutes by car. The blood samples were needed for life-saving blood transfusions. Drones also transported other medical samples to the campus lab for tests.

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