Hyperdrive
Google Spinoff’s Drone Delivery Business First to Get FAA Approval
- Google offshoot becomes only drone firm approved as an airline
- Wing’s new status clears way for others seeking drone commerce
This article is for subscribers only.
An offshoot of Alphabet Inc.’s Google has become the first drone operator to receive government approval as an airline, an important step that gives it the legal authority to begin dropping products to actual customers.
The subsidiary, Wing Aviation LLC, now has the same certifications that smaller airlines receive from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation. It plans to begin routine deliveries of small consumer items in two rural communities in Virginia within months, the company said.