Move over, Amazon: UPS is on track to have one of the country’s first fully certified, revenue-generating drone operations.
The United Parcel Service this week applied to the FAA for approval to conduct commercial drone flights under its new UPS Flight Forward subsidiary.
If authorized, the shipping company could fly unmanned aerial vehicles beyond human operators’ visual line of sight—day or night.
Very few businesses have been given the green light under this permit, which is the same one Alphabet’s Wing received in April. Amazon and Uber Eats have also applied for the designation, but not yet received consent.
“We’ve done the testing, we’ve done the prototyping, and now it’s time to make it operational,” Bala Ganesh, vice president of the UPS advanced technology group, told CNET.
The firm is no stranger to drones: In March, it partnered with Matternet to operate multiple daily UAV flights at WakeMed’s hospital and campus in Raleigh, N.C., where a majority of specimens are currently moved by car.
Advanced FAA approvals, however, would allow the international business to expand its “groundbreaking” program to more U.S. healthcare networks.
Hospitals will pay UPS Flight Forward for its service, which is expected to be much faster and cheaper than current dispatchers, according to CNET.
Moving forward, Ganesh said the subsidiary may look to provide other urgent-need deliveries—like sending a drone to a factory requiring replacement parts to fix critical machinery.
“This is an exciting and momentous time at UPS, as we leverage the exceptional power of UPS technology and innovation to bring new industry-first capabilities,” CEO David Abney said in a statement.
Abney on Tuesday helped announce a handful of new products and services, including improved transit times, extended pickup and delivery, and additional access point locations at CVS Pharmacy, Michaels, and Advance Auto Parts stores.
“We have even more exciting solutions on the way,” he teased.
More on Geek.com:
- UPS Adds 3 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Semis to Its Fleet
- Amazon’s Prime Air Drone Will Make Same-Day Deliveries
- DHL Kicks Off Regular Autonomous Drone Deliveries in China
