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The US Federal Aviation Administration announced on Monday that it will issue a long-awaited rule to allow small drones to fly over people at night, bringing the use of technology for widespread commercial deliveries closer to becoming a reality.
In addition, the FAA also requires remote identification for most drones in order to address security issues.
“The new rules open the way for greater integration of drones in our airspace, addressing safety and security issues,” said FAA administrator Steve Dickson in a statement. “They bring us closer to the day when we will see drone operations more routinely, like package delivery.”
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According to the Person and Night Operations rule, drones must have flashing anti-collision lights that can be seen up to five kilometers away and no exposed rotating parts that can tear human skin. The final rule also requires that drone operators carry their certificate and remote pilot identification at all times and complete special training.
In the meantime, the remote identification rule will require all drones registered with the FAA to transmit identification, location and take-off information via radio frequency. The final rule also eliminates the requirement that drones be connected to the Internet to transmit location data.
Remote ID will be required for drones weighing 0.55 pounds or more and for smaller drones in certain circumstances, such as flying in outdoor mounts. Drone manufacturers will have 18 months to start making drones with remote ID, and operators will have a year after that to start using drones with remote ID.
The final rules also allow operations on moving vehicles in some circumstances. Both rules will take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
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Drones represent the fastest growing segment in the entire transportation sector, with more than 1.7 million drone registrations and 203,000 FAA certified remote pilots. However, drones used for commercial delivery have developed much more slowly than expected.
United Parcel Service became the first company in America to obtain government approval to operate a drone airline in October 2019. Similar approval was also given to Alphabet’s Wing, a sister unit of Google, last year.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPS | UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC. | 171.36 | -0.83 | -0.48% |
| GOOGL | ALPHABET INC. | 1,773.96 | +39.80 | + 2.30% |
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 3,283.96 | +111.27 | + 3.51% |
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos told “60 Minutes” in December 2013 that the company would use drones to deliver goods to customers’ doors in five years. However, this prediction is already wrong for two years. Amazon Prime Air received FAA approval in August to deliver packages using drones, but a timetable for when drones would begin delivering to customers was not specified.
Representatives from UPS, Amazon and Wing did not immediately return FOX Business requests for comment on the new rule.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.