Amazon Prime Air has changed its goals for 2023. It is not a surprise, though, as the company has only made 100 of them even though we’re already in the middle of the year. Amazon defended itself, nonetheless, mentioning hurdles against the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulations. Worse, public acceptance of drone tech also seems to be an issue in the place where Amazon is offering the service.
The company reportedly admitted the significant change to CNBC, which visited Lockeford, California, only to find no drones in the sky. Locals interviewed claimed the same. One said only 14 customers signed up for the service, even though it told the news outlet that “thousands of people ‘have expressed interest.’” Yet, Amazon didn’t deny the low number of customers and said it is having challenges with FAA regulations.
“While the FAA broadened Prime Air’s authority to conduct drone deliveries to include sites in California and Texas, the phased process for expanding our service areas is taking longer than we anticipated,” Amazon spokesperson Av Zammit told CNBC.
The report mentioned Amazon’s 2021 letter to the FAA highlighting the safety features of its MK27-2, the second iteration of its latest drone design. However, the US agency denied the request for the removal of some restrictions for the drone, saying it lacked data to provide the claims about its safety. This is not the first time Amazon faced doubts about its drone safety. In 2022, reports about Amazon issues involving its drone test in Oregon surfaced, with Bloomberg revealing crash incidents and employee safety issues.
Nonetheless, the regulator and drone tests are not the sole problem of Amazon, as it also seems to be struggling to promote the idea of drones and encourage people to accept them. Moreover, folks in Lockeford seem to hate the idea of having drones around and making changes in the place.
“There’s a field with cows in it, and that’s just down the street from the Amazon warehouse,” one local told the news outlet. “I don’t know if the cows will be bothered by the drones or not. Horses might be, though. Horses are skittish.”
“I’m still trying to figure out what exactly the benefit or the perk of the drone program would be,” another one said.
