Amazon Announces Major Decision on Drone Delivery

The idea that drones could deliver Amazon packages to your door soon may not be a scene confined to movies. However, the concept of drone delivery just got a major setback due to a decision announced by the company.

Amazon told Reuters that the company has decided to halt drone delivery in a key market. “Following a strategic review, ‌we have decided ⁠to stop our commercial drone delivery plans in Italy," the company said in a statement to Reuters on December 28.

• In early December, Amazon revealed that Italy was supposed to be the company's first European country with "delivery drones," adding that a test was successfully carried out in San Salvo, a town in the Abruzzo region.
• Thus, the decision to halt the idea in Italy was considered surprising as the company gradually expands the regions where it delivers packages using drones.

The company is already using drones in a few areas of the U.S.

Amazon Announced That the Company's 'Regulatory Framework' Doesn't Lend Itself to Drone Delivery

What's the obstacle?

“Despite positive engagement ‍and progress with Italian aerospace regulators, the broader business regulatory framework in the country does not, at this time, support ⁠our longer-term objectives for this ‌program,” Amazon told Reuters.

According to Reuters, the Italian civil aviation ENAC called the decision "unexpected" and the result of "recent financial events." Amazon was hoping to launch drone delivery in both Italy and Great Britain, Reuters reported.

Amazon calls drone delivery "Prime Air." Drone delivery is already being utilized by the company, but in a narrow fashion. Amazon drones "are currently operational in a couple of U.S. locations in Texas and Arizona, and are due to be gradually expanded," reported Reuters, adding that, according to Amazon, the drones are supposed to move around "obstacles," like people and animals.

Amazon Calls Drone Delivery 'an Aerospace Program'

Amazon discusses drone delivery in detail on its website.

Amazon Prime Air "is more than just another last-mile delivery option for customers—it’s fundamentally an aerospace program rooted in rigorous aerospace principles and standards," the company wrote on its website.

"This approach has established Prime Air as an industry leader, combining cutting-edge drone design and manufacturing capabilities with sophisticated operational systems that enable safe, efficient, and scalable drone delivery operations to serve Amazon customers across the country," the company wrote.

"Since launching in 2022, we’ve been delivering packages weighing up to five pounds to customers in under 60 minutes," the company says. "Our service has expanded from household essentials to include medications, smartphones, and tens of thousands of other eligible items customers need and want fast, integrating drone deliveries into Amazon's broader fulfillment network. From prescription deliveries to household essentials, these operations are already improving lives. We believe drone delivery will bring the convenient and safe delivery options that customers have come to expect from Amazon to new heights."

The company explains, "Amazon's Prime Air drones deliver packages along precise flight paths between our delivery centers and customer backyards, flying at altitudes between 115 and 400 feet. Each route connects our delivery centers to customer delivery locations before returning to base. This carefully selected altitude range keeps drones above ground obstacles while maintaining separation from conventional air traffic."

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