Amazon first received FAA certification in 2020. Credit: No-Mad/shutterstock

Amazon has received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expand its drone flights to more locations. 

The FAA has given Amazon approval to fly its delivery drones beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) after Amazon created a BVLOS flight strategy. 

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Most drones in the US are usually only allowed to be flown under close human supervision. However the tech giant’s new BVLOS strategy will allow Amazon to fly its drone out of the controller’s visual line of sight, meaning that the company can deliver to customers further away.

Amazon said it had received permission from the FAA after submitting its engineering information, in a statement published today (30 May).

Amazon also conducted flights in front of the FAA to demonstrate how its drone detect-and-avoid software worked in the presence of real planes and helicopters. 

The tech giant said its pilots will be actively monitoring and controlling its drones with other tracking technology while they are out of sight.

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Amazon previously received an Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA in 2020, which enabled it to begin delivering small parcels via drone. 

Following its recent FAA approval, Amazon aims to roll out drone delivery to Prime customers in more densely populated areas. 

By the end of 2024, Amazon stated that it hoped to deliver over 500 million parcels to Prime customers via drone. 

It stated that safety would continue to be a priority in the expansion of its drone flight service. 

In its 2022 thematic intelligence report into drones, research and analysis company GlobalData forecast that the global drone market could reach a value of $89.9bn by 2030.