Amazon has dreamed for years of delivering packages with drones that fly through the skies. It already does so in two states in the United States—Texas and California—and claims to be closer to its next goal: making the leap to Europe. The e-commerce giant announced this Wednesday at an event with international journalists in Seattle that it has the approval of regulatory agencies to start delivery with drones in the United Kingdom and Italy at the end of 2024.

In addition to these two countries, this program will also reach “a new city in the United States. We hope that drone deliveries will begin to be made in these three new locations before the end of 2024,” the company states. The e-commerce giant has not announced the names of the specific cities in which the service will be implemented. Nor has it detailed whether Spain is among the countries in which Amazon Prime Air could soon be deployed.

Amazon's goal is for customers in select locations to be able to opt for fast drone deliveries for products weighing a maximum of 2.25 kilos.

As of today, not all Amazon customers in Texas and California can receive packages with drones. So far, the program has been implemented only in Lockeford, a quiet town of 3,200 people in California, and College Station, a city in Texas. In the latter place, the e-commerce giant is also going to start distributing medicines using these devices. “Amazon Pharmacy customers [an online pharmacy available in the United States], located within the drone delivery radius, can select this option when completing their order and receive it in less than an hour,” the company announced this Wednesday.

Vin Gupta, medical director of Amazon Pharmacy, has assured that “there is a key window in clinical medicine.” “It is the time between the moment in which a patient feels bad and the moment in which he can receive treatment. “We are working hard at Amazon to dramatically reduce this window between diagnosis and treatment, and drone shipping marks an important step forward,” he said.

Challenges to expanding delivery with drones

Expanding Amazon Prime Air to other European countries, including Spain, is not an easy task. Among the obstacles to achieving this is the regulatory framework, as highlighted by Michael Fariello, head of product marketing for Amazon Prime Air. “It is important to understand what the limits, rules and regulations of both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in the United States are. EU,” he comments.

To achieve the expansion and acceptance of the drone service, Fariello also considers the customer experience important. “It's like any new technology when you first bring it in. At first people didn't have much confidence in laptops and 30 years ago they weren't even ordering online. It is by demystifying the technology that people become comfortable with it and see it the same way they see the Rivian van or any other land vehicle,” he says.

Drones can pose a safety risk if not operated properly. Amazon is aware that customers will only feel comfortable receiving drone deliveries if they know the system is completely safe.