Wing has become the first drone delivery company in the US to receive Air Carrier Certification from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This means Wing can begin a commercial service delivering goods from local businesses to homes in the United States, which includes flights beyond visual line of site and over people.
According to a press statement: “Wing worked extensively with the FAA over several years to demonstrate the safety of our aircraft, operations and systems to gain this approval. Safety is our most important focus, and we’ll continue to work with the FAA on additional approvals to expand our capabilities. Our next steps over the coming weeks are to begin talking with the communities and businesses in the Blacksburg and Christiansburg areas of Virginia, where we’ll begin our commercial delivery pilot as part of the Integrated Pilot Program (IPP) later this year.”
“Most importantly, FAA certification required us to submit evidence that our operations are safe. These submissions included data showing that a delivery by Wing carries a lower risk to pedestrians than the same trip made by car. Our drones have flown over 70,000 test flights, and more than 3,000 deliveries to doorsteps, driveways and backyards of our customers in Australia.”
“This is an important step forward for the safe testing and integration of drones into our economy. Safety continues to be our Number One priority as this technology continues to develop and realize its full potential,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.
Most recently, Wing has commenced a commercial air delivery service in the north of Canberra, Australia. The company is also about to begin its first trial in Europe in the Spring, delivering to homes in Helsinki, Finland.
