Commercial drone delivery service not dead after all

The back and forth debates on drone-based delivery services seems to be like something out of a bad movie. Over the last few months, there has been news that a major company is adopting the system (Amazon), a number of smaller companies tried to get ahead of the curve and a government agency (the Federal Aviation Administration) shutting it down.

The FAA had been playing hardball when it comes to the use of unmanned aircraft making deliveries. Last week, the organization released a document that covered "special rules for model aircraft." In it was the mention that using drones to deliver a package for a fee was illegal. It also mentioned that free shipping was not a loophole to get past this.

Following the release of this document, many started making the claim that Amazon's plan of drone delivery was dead, while others believed it could be the beginning of a lengthy legal battle. However, it seems like the media has jumped the gun a little bit.

A recent article from the Dallas Business Journal dove deeper into the document and found some interesting takeaways, mainly that Amazon's plan will not be affected at all. Les Dorr, a spokesman for the FAA's unmanned aircraft systems division, told the news source that the guideline released last week only applies to operating these devices as a hobby or for recreational purposes.

This means that since Amazon and other companies will be using drones for a business purpose, these rules do not apply. However, that does not mean that drones will be all over the skies tomorrow. The FAA still needs to approve the use and does so on a case-by-case basis. Earlier this year, the organization approved its first commercial use of these devices in Alaska.

The news source reached out to Amazon for comment, and the company continued to push its future plan.

"This is about hobbyists and model aircraft, not Amazon, and has no effect on our plans. Our plan has always been to operate as a commercial entity to deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less through Amazon Prime Air and this has no effect on that," a statement from Amazon read.

The use of drone delivery services continues to go back and forth, but until the FAA allows it, companies need to find other, more practical ways to improve their shipping strategies. This is where a third party logistic firm become a reliable resource.