FAA Paves Way for Alphabet Unit to Make First US Drone Deliveries

FAA Paves Way for Alphabet Unit to Make First US Drone Deliveries
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao speaks to the news media outside of the West Wing of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 4, 2019. Leah Millis/Reuters
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WASHINGTON—Alphabet Inc.’s Wing Aviation unit on April 23 got the okay to start delivering goods by drone in Virginia later this year, making the sister unit of search engine Google the first company to get U.S. air carrier certification, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

This means Wing can begin a commercial service delivering goods from local businesses to homes, which includes flights beyond visual line of site and over people, the FAA and Wing said. Wing Aviation plans to start commercial package delivery in Blacksburg, Virginia, later this year.