FAA makes history, allows BVLOS drone deliveries in Dallas

In a first for U.S. aviation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorised commercial drone flights without visual observers in the same Dallas-area airspace.

"The authorisations for Zipline International and Wing Aviation allow them to deliver packages while keeping their drones safely separated using Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) technology. In this system, the industry manages the airspace with rigorous FAA safety oversight," says an official statement.

Typically, when operating drones, the drone pilot must be able to always see the aircraft. However, new advancements in air traffic technology and procedures are providing a key step toward making these Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights routine, the statement added.

Using UTM services, companies can share data and planned flight routes with other authorised airspace users. "This allows the operators to safely organise and manage drone flights around each other in shared airspace. All flights occur below 400 feet altitude and away from any crewed aircraft. The FAA expects initial flights using UTM services will begin in August and issuing more authorisations in the Dallas area soon."

The authorisations come as the FAA works to release the Normalising UAS BVLOS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which would enable drone operators to expand operations while maintaining the same high level of safety as traditional aviation, says the statement. "We are on track to release the NPRM this year, following strong Congressional support in the recent FAA reauthorisation."

Amit Ganjoo, Founder and CEO, ANRA Technologies wrote on LinkedIn: "ANRA Technologies is proud to be part of this journey and stay tuned for more authorisations in the coming weeks!"