It’s been a week since Amazon drones have buzzed in the air, completing deliveries in the West Valley of the Phoenix Metro Area in Arizona.
Customers who live near Amazon’s same-day site in Tolleson, Arizona, can receive eligible items they purchase weighing 5 pounds or less with a drone at their front door, all under an hour.
Customers can access over 50,000 items, including household products, beauty items, and office/tech supplies.
This has been in the pipeline for quite a few months. In April, it announced that it hit its fastest speeds ever in the US and around the world. More than 5 billion items arrived the same or next day globally.
Amazon started drone deliveries in 2022 and has made significant progress in improving speedy deliveries. It is now also delivering prescription medications to customers in Texas.
Arizona drone deliveries have arrived
For the first time, Amazon’s new MK30 drones are deployed from facilities next to its same-day delivery site in Tolleson.
The smaller sites are hybrid, part fulfillment center, and part delivery station.
Here, Amazon staff can fulfill, sort, and deliver products from one site to make sure packages leave for their final destination quicker.
“Our same-day delivery sites are situated close to the large metro areas they serve, which means customers get their orders faster. With connections to the larger Amazon fulfillment centers nearby, we are able to offer same-day delivery on millions of items,” says the retail giant.
Safety first: MK30 receives FAA approval
Amazon’s MK30 has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to deliver straight to customers.
This means drones can fly Beyond the Visual Line of Sight. Amazon calls it a “historic, first-of-its-kind approval” for a new drone system.
This is also for the new operating location in Arizona.
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Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
