FAA Grants Approval for Dallas Delivery Drones to Operate Beyond Pilots' Line of Sight

Expanded drone delivery services throughout the region are now possible thanks to the FAA's approval of two Dallas-based companies to fly drones farther beyond their pilots' line of sight.

Typically, a pilot needs to have constant visual sight of their drone. However, businesses that employ Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) technology may be granted special permission by the FAA. Drone operators can communicate planned routes and flight data using UTM services; however, flights must stay below 400 feet in height. With the use of UTM technology, Zipline International and Wing Aviation will be permitted to begin operating their delivery drones in the Dallas region in August. Prior to this, the two firms conducted thousands of the safest drone flights over the previous year.

According to FAA NextGen Office program manager Praveen Raju, "this is the first time the FAA has recognized a third-party to safely manage drone-to-drone interactions." "As always, safety comes first, and before approving, we needed to conduct extensive research and testing."

Owned by Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, Wing Aviation has previously collaborated on drone deliveries with DoorDash, FedEx, and Walgreens in Virginia. Since 2021, Zipline has been testing drone deliveries for Walmart in the Dallas-Forth Worth (DFW) region. In June 2024, the service was added to the Walmart app for DFW customers.