UPS says it has applied to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Part 135 certification to operate commercial drone flights in the UPS network under a subsidiary business called UPS Flight Forward Inc. The new subsidiary is a recently incorporated business that could receive Part 135 certification as early as this year, putting UPS on track to have one of the first fully certified revenue-generating drone operations in the U.S. said the company in a news release.
When approved, UPS said the certification lays the foundation for drone flights beyond an operator’s visual line of sight and for flights occurring day or night. Such flights are highly restricted in the U.S. and approved only by exception.
In contrast to more-limited FAA certifications for drone flights for other companies, UPS Flight Forward would operate under the FAA’s standard Part 135 certification, which conveys a legal designation to a company as a certified Air Carrier and Operator.
Currently, UPS is operating drone healthcare deliveries in a specific use-case under FAA Part 107 rules. In March, UPS initiated the first FAA-sanctioned use of a drone for routine revenue flights involving the transport of a product under a contractual delivery agreement in the U.S. at WakeMed’s flagship hospital and campus in Raleigh, NC.
In this program, the company delivers medical samples via unmanned drones, supplementing a ground courier service. UPS has said it intends to expand its drone delivery service to other hospitals or campus settings.
