Amazon has restarted its Prime Air drone delivery service in College Station, Texas, and Tolleson, Arizona, after a two-month hiatus. The pause, which began in January, was due to an issue with the drones’ altitude sensors. Amazon explained that dust in the air had interfered with the sensors, potentially causing inaccurate readings of the drones’ positions relative to the ground. While the company clarified that no safety incidents occurred, it decided to suspend deliveries to address the issue.
The service resumed last week following the completion of a software update and subsequent approval by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Amazon spokesperson Av Zammit emphasized that safety was a top priority for Prime Air, which is why the company took the precautionary step of pausing operations. The update was designed for the MK30 drone, the newest addition to Amazon’s fleet, which is expected to be quieter and capable of flying in light rain.
The restart of deliveries comes amid growing demand for the service. David Carbon, an executive overseeing the drone program, highlighted in a LinkedIn post that a recent delivery in Arizona took just 31 minutes and 30 seconds to reach a customer. However, specific details about the distance flown were not disclosed.
Amazon’s drone delivery program, which has been in development for over a decade, aims to deliver packages to customers in under 30 minutes. Despite this long-term effort, progress has been slow, with the service currently available only in College Station and Tolleson. A test site in Lockeford, California, was shut down last year, and the program has faced challenges, including layoffs in 2023 as part of broader cost-cutting measures.
Looking forward, Amazon has set a goal to deliver 500 million packages by drone annually by the end of the decade. The company has also set its sights on expanding internationally, with plans for a rollout in the U.K. and other countries. Recently, Amazon introduced the MK30 drone, which is quieter and designed to operate in light rain—an improvement over previous models that faced noise complaints in residential areas.
Although the drone program has experienced setbacks, including several crashes during test flights, Amazon remains committed to its vision of revolutionizing package delivery with drones. The company maintains that such incidents are part of the testing process and continue to push its technology to new limits.
