Drone delivery rules setback for Amazon

Amazon’s plans to deliver parcels to customers’ doorsteps using drone technology have been dealt a severe blow.

The US aviation regulator proposed rules for commercial drone flights that would lift some restrictions but would still bar activities such as the delivery of packages and inspection of pipelines that have been eyed by companies as a potentially breakthrough use of the technology.

The long-awaited draft rules from the Federal Aviation Administration would require unmanned aircraft pilots to obtain special pilot certificates, stay away from bystanders and fly only during the day.

They limit flying speed to 160kph and the altitude to 152m above ground level.

The rules also say pilots must remain in the line of sight of its radio-control drone, which could limit inspection of pipelines, crops, and electrical towers that are one of the major uses envisioned by companies.

The administration acknowledged the limitations but said that those flights could be made possible with a secondary spotter working with the pilot of the drone.

“This rule does not deal with beyond line of sight, but does allow for the use of a visual observer to augment line of sight by the operator of the unmanned aircraft,” said administrator Michael Huerta.

The draft rules, nearly 10 years in the making, still must undergo public comment and revision before becoming final, a process expected to take at least a year.

If they survive in their current form, they would be unlikely to help Amazon in its quest to eventually deliver packages with unmanned drones.

The regulations require an administration-certified small drone pilot to fly the aircraft and keep it in line of sight at all times

These factors are not envisioned in the online retailer’s plan.

Amazon’s vice president of global public policy, Paul Misener, said that the proposal would bar the company’s delivery drones in the US.

Misener also urged the administration to address the needs of Amazon and its customers as it carried out its formal rulemaking process.

Other countries have taken a more permissive stance towards delivery drones.