UPS details drone plans in federal exemption request - Freightwaves
Transporting medical samples between hospitals and their support facilities will be the initial market play for UPS as it expands into drone delivery services, according to plans filed with federal regulators.
The company’s drone unit, UPS Flight Forward, announced plans earlier this year to seek a “Part 35” exemption from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations to allow it to expand beyond the limited phase of its drone system. Its application, published in the Federal Register on Aug. 22, comes weeks after Amazon filed for similar regulatory relief for its Amazon Prime Air drone system.
Since March, Flight Forward and its drone partner, Matternet, have been running a drone service for WakeMed hospital in Raleigh, NC. The operation involves transporting blood and medical samples for testing from satellite facilities to a laboratory on WakeMed’s main campus.
Transporting medical samples between hospitals and their support facilities will be the initial market play for UPS as it expands into drone delivery services, according to plans filed with federal regulators.
The company’s drone unit, UPS Flight Forward, announced plans earlier this year to seek a “Part 35” exemption from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations to allow it to expand beyond the limited phase of its drone system. Its application, published in the Federal Register on Aug. 22, comes weeks after Amazon filed for similar regulatory relief for its Amazon Prime Air drone system.
Since March, Flight Forward and its drone partner, Matternet, have been running a drone service for WakeMed hospital in Raleigh, NC. The operation involves transporting blood and medical samples for testing from satellite facilities to a laboratory on WakeMed’s main campus.
