Amazon drones delivered… only 7 orders in the first month of operation
Prime Air’s workforce has been hit hard by recent mass layoffs at Amazon, with ‘robotic workers’ delivering fewer than a dozen orders in its first weeks of operation.
After nearly a decade of work on the program, Amazon finally announced in December 2022 that drones are starting to deliver orders: in Lockford, California, and College Station, Texas. However, only 7 households used the service in the first few weeks after launch — according to The Information: two in California and five in Texas.
Despite Amazon’s claims of successful certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the regulator has banned drones from flying over roads or people without a special permit, which must be obtained on a case-by-case basis.
One plan approved by the FAA was for Amazon employees to conduct self-checks — to make sure there are no cars on nearby roads — before the drones leave the Lockford depot. The loading point is in an industrial area, so the drones have to fly over at least one road before reaching any of the buildings.
Compared to other drones (those operated by Wing, as well as Walmart partners Flytrex and Zipline), Amazon’s robotic couriers weigh about 36kg. Journalists speculate that it was the drones’ heavy weight that caused concern at the FAA, as competitors were granted permits without a problem. Wing has made over 300,000 deliveries to date.
Another aspect that doesn’t help Amazon’s popularity is that customers must have a backyard where the drones will leave packages (so apartment dwellers are immediately removed from the target audience). The aircraft can also only carry a certain size box weighing up to 2 kg, and drops packages from a height of 3.5 meters – which also limits the list of products available for transport.
“We accept a thorough assessment of our performance by the FAA; regulators play an important role in ensuring that drone companies adhere to design, construction and operational standards,” Amazon spokeswoman Maria Boschetti told The Information.
Boschetti added that the layoffs, which nearly halved teams in both Texas and California, did not affect delivery plans.
