Key figures in Amazon's drone delivery department resign, possibly because they failed to achieve expected goals

According to reports, Sean Cassidy, the head of safety, flight operations and regulatory affairs for Prime Air, Amazon’s drone delivery unit, recently resigned. He is the company's primary regulatory contact with the Federal Aviation Administration. In 2015, Amazon hired Cassidy, a former Alaska Airlines pilot and vice president of the American Pilots Union, to oversee the company's drone program. strategic cooperation. He announced his departure in an internal notice sent to Prime Air employees recently.

Cassidy said in the notice: "This is my last day at Prime Air and Amazon. I am very grateful to the many friends and colleagues I have made here and the nearly nine years I have spent here. I feel amazing." Cassidy is responsible for much of Amazon's work with the FAA as it attempts to launch an ambitious drone delivery program that founder Jeff Bays A project that Jeff Bezos is very concerned about.

Bezos predicted a decade ago that Amazon’s drones would be in the air in about five years, capable of delivering packages to customers in 30 minutes or less. But that vision didn't materialize as quickly as he had hoped.

In August 2020, Amazon received FAA Part 135 certification, which means they can use drones for package delivery. However, there are still some limitations. Amazon last year announced plans to test drone delivery in two small markets in California and Texas

The company has been hit by layoffs just as its Prime Air program is set to expand. as part of its widespread layoffs. At the same time, the company also encountered regulatory setbacks and struggled to meet its goals. Prime Air saw the departure of two business-critical executives in August. David Carbon, Amazon's drone delivery chief and a former Boeing executive, has set an internal goal: By 2023, Delivering 10,000 shipments via drone between two test sites

Amazon said in October that its drones have been flying safely in College Station, Texas, since December 2022 Hundreds of household items were delivered and drone deliveries of medication began in the area. But the statement did not disclose deliveries at the company's other testing site in Rockford, California.

In late October, Amazon successfully overcame a major regulatory hurdle when the FAA revised its restrictions on where and how its drones can fly.

According to the FAA According to a document released by the bureau, Cassidy sent a letter to the agency in July requesting that Amazon's drones be allowed to fly beyond the sight of "visual observers" or that Amazon employees would closely monitor drone flights to ensure Avoid danger. Cassidy said Prime Air spent several years developing a "detect and avoid" system for its MK27-2 drone that allows the drone to avoid commercial aircraft, people and pets, and static objects such as chimneys. , eliminating the need for observers

Amazon’s drone delivery service has been approved by the FAA, allowing it to fly over roads and cars when necessary to complete delivery tasks. While the agency has loosened restrictions on where drones can operate, some measures remain in place, such as a ban on flying drones over open-air gatherings and schools.

The company’s drone business has since It was not all smooth sailing. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a Nov. 10 crash at the Amazon Drone Testing Range in Pendleton, Oregon, in which a drone suffered serious injuries, according to a federal accident report. There was damage, but fortunately no one was injured and no fire or explosion occurred.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the incident, and they believe the scope of this investigation is more limited than other investigations

In addition, an Amazon drone was killed in June this year There was another incident at Pendleton Base in March when the aircraft crashed during an unmanned emergency landing in a field. The company said at the time that it was testing its drone system beyond its limits and had reported the incident to regulators.

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