WASHINGTON— In a first for U.S. aviation, the FAA has authorized commercial drone flights without visual observers in the same Dallas-area airspace.

The authorizations for Zipline International and Wing Aviation allow them to deliver packages while keeping their drones safely separated using Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) technology. In this system, the industry manages the airspace with rigorous FAA safety oversight. 

Typically, when operating drones, the drone pilot must be able to always see the aircraft. However, new advancements in air traffic technology and procedures are providing a key step toward making these Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights routine.

Using UTM services, companies can share data and planned flight routes with other authorized airspace users. This allows the operators to safely organize and manage drone flights around each other in shared airspace. All flights occur below 400 feet altitude and away from any crewed aircraft. The FAA expects initial flights using UTM services will begin in August and issuing more authorizations in the Dallas area soon. 

This comes as the FAA works to release the Normalizing UAS BVLOS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which would enable drone operators to expand operations while maintaining the same high level of safety as traditional aviation. We are on track to release the NPRM this year, following strong Congressional support in the recent FAA reauthorization.
 
Drones represent a very different type of aircraft than traditional commercial aviation, and the FAA’s approach to this new NPRM has evolved accordingly. Industry has created the market and technology, and the Agency has worked with them on creative solutions to ensure operations can be done safely – UTM services are a clear example of this innovative approach. The NPRM has been designed to allow operations to scale with the size of the industry.