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Alphabet’s drone spinoff has been cleared to launch deliveries in the US

Wing has become the first drone delivery company to be certified as an airline by US authorities, paving the way for it to start delivering packages to customers.
April 24, 2019
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What’s happened: Wing has received Air Carrier Certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration. That means it can begin a commercial service delivering goods from local businesses to homes.

Testing: Wing launched (a very small-scale) version of this exact service in Australia at the start of the month. Now that it’s been cleared by the FAA, it plans to launch a delivery service in the US later this year, starting in two areas in Virginia: Blacksburg and Christiansburg. It’s been doing tests in these locations in recent months.

Is this really a first? Eagle-eyed readers may be confused about competing claims, given that UPS launched a medical sample delivery service at a hospital site in March. The difference with Wing’s service is that it will be larger-scale, and consumer-facing.

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