Amazon
Michael McGough
Fri, December 23, 2022
Amazon has begun using drones to deliver packages, with a small town in California’s Central Valley representing one of the first two locations covered by the e-commerce giant’s new Prime Air home-delivery service.
Lockeford, a town of about 3,600 people in San Joaquin County that is about 10 miles from Stockton, as well as College Station, Texas, are the first two locales being served by Prime Air.
Amazon earlier this year unveiled plans to roll out Prime Air service to those two locations before the end of 2022. The company did not specify a launch date at that time, but an Amazon spokesperson on Friday said Prime Air has officially started delivering to customers.
“Our aim is to safely introduce our drones to the skies,” Natalie Banke, an Amazon Air spokesperson, said Friday in an emailed statement to The Sacramento Bee. “We are starting in these communities and will gradually expand deliveries to more customers over time.”
The Prime Air drones, which weigh about 85 pounds, are affixed in a hexagonal frame and fly autonomously, can carry packages up to 5 pounds. The Lockeford drones will serve a roughly one-square-mile zone.
Home delivery drones face logistical challenges including navigation obstacles such as trees and power lines. Amazon secured authorization for its drones with the Federal Aviation Administration and local officials in Lockeford.
Planning in Lockeford began this July, The Modesto Bee previously reported.
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