Amazon ends drone program in California, plans to start deliveries in Arizona later this year

Amazon
is
shuttering
its
drone
delivery
operations
in
Lockeford,
California,
one
of
the
earliest
U.S.
test
sites
for
the
decade-long
project.

The
program,
called
Prime
Air,
has
struggled
to
get
off
the
ground
since
Amazon
founder

Jeff
Bezos
first
detailed
his
vision
in
2013
of
autonomous
drones
delivering
packages
weighing
less
than
5
pounds
in
30
minutes
or
less.

Amazon
said
in
a

blog
post
Monday
that
it
intends
to
keep
expanding
drone
deliveries
to
more
U.S.
cities
in
2025,
and
plans
to
open
up
in
part
of
the
Phoenix
area
later
this
year.
The
company
said
it’s
working
with
the
Federal
Aviation
Administration
and
local
officials
to
get
permission
for
drone
deliveries
in
Tolleson,
Arizona,
west
of
Phoenix.

“As
we
look
to
the
future
and
prioritize
our
resources
to
continue
growing
the
program,
we’ve
also
made
the
decision
to
close
our
delivery
site
in
Lockeford,”
the
company
wrote.
Amazon
said
it
will
offer
employees
opportunities
at
other
sites,
and
Lockeford
residents
can
still
place
orders
using
other
delivery
methods.

Amazon
says
it’s
now
conducting
test
flights
to
demonstrate
the
reliability
of
its
new
delivery
drone,
the
MK30,
which
the
company

unveiled
at
an
event
last
year.
The
drone
is
intended
to
be
smaller
and
quieter
than
prior
models,
and
can
fly
through
light
rain.

Amazon

in
2020
received
Part
135
certification
from
the
FAA,
allowing
it
to
use
drones
to
deliver
packages
with
some
restrictions.
But
Prime
Air’s
progress
has
been
delayed.

In
2022,
Amazon
said
it
would
begin
testing
deliveries
in

College
Station,
Texas,
about
100
miles
northwest
of
Houston,
and

Lockeford,
a
town
south
of
Sacramento
where
the
program’s
arrival

was
initially
met
with
some
skepticism
by
residents.

Just
as
it
looked
set
to
get
going,
Prime
Air

was
hit
by
layoffs
last
year
as
part
of
broader
job
cuts
at
Amazon.
The
group
also
encountered
regulatory
setbacks
and

executive
departures.

Amazon
has
still
continued
to
push
ahead
with
expanding
drone
deliveries.
Last
October,
the
company
cleared
a
significant
regulatory
hurdle
when
the
FAA
loosened
some
restrictions
on
where
its
drones
can
operate,
permitting
it
to
fly
over
roadways
and
cars
when
necessary
to
complete
a
route.

Last
week,
Amazon
signed
a
deal
with
Embention,
a
developer
of
autopilot
systems
and
components
for
drones.
As
part
of
the
agreement,
Embention
will
provide
Amazon
with
safety-related
hardware
and
software.