fbpx

Human Progress Logo Human Progress

01 / 05
Amazon Prime Air Drones Are Back in the Skies Making Delivery Drops

MSN | Air Transport

Amazon Prime Air Drones Are Back in the Skies Making Delivery Drops

“After being inactive for two months, Amazon’s drones are once again taking to the skies.

Amazon confirmed to CNBC on Monday that it will resume Prime Air drone deliveries in the two U.S. areas where it is testing the service: College Station, Texas, and Tolleson, Arizona.

Amazon stopped drone deliveries in the two states in January after detecting issues with the altitude sensors of its 80-pound MK30 drones. Dusty air in the two cities had the potential to interfere with the drone’s altitude readings, creating a safety risk.

Amazon said on Monday that it did not experience any safety incidents in flights from the altitude sensor, but it took the precaution of stopping deliveries until it had rolled out a software update to fix the issue. As of last week, Amazon completed the update and received a stamp of approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to resume operations.”

From MSN.

Axios | Air Transport

Next-Generation Electric Aircraft Cleared for Takeoff in FAA Test Program

“The U.S. aims to accelerate the next era of aviation with eight pilot projects to test innovative electric aircraft across 26 states, the Trump administration announced Monday…

The approved projects announced Monday are part of the Trump administration’s Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program, or the eIPP.

The idea is to give U.S. companies an opportunity to test their operations in the real world, ahead of achieving final FAA certification of their aircraft. In essence, it’s a flying start for companies like Joby, Archer, Beta and five other U.S. aviation startups.

The projects include air taxi passenger flights in Manhattan, regional flights across Texas and cargo delivery and medical response in Florida.

Most of the projects involve the use of eVTOLs — imagine giant, low-flying electric drones carrying passengers or cargo — that take off like helicopters and fly horizontally like traditional planes.”

From Axios.

Buenos Aires Times | Air Transport

Open Skies Lifts Argentina to Top of Regional Air Traffic

“Argentina recorded the highest percentage growth in air traffic in Latin America last year, with 33.3 million passengers travelling to, from and within the country.

The figure represents a 13.2 percent year-on-year increase, equating to some 3.9 million additional travellers, according to data released Tuesday by the Latin America and the Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA).”

From Buenos Aires Times.

Southwest | Air Transport

Southwest Airlines Launches Starlink High-Speed Wi-Fi Service

“Southwest Airlines Co. is taking inflight connectivity to new heights with Starlink. Engineered by SpaceX, Starlink will deliver next-generation WiFi across Southwest’s network of 11 countries, allowing Customers to stream, share, and scroll in the sky at lightning-fast speeds…

Southwest plans to rapidly integrate Starlink into its fleet. The first Starlink-equipped aircraft enters service this summer, and it will be available on more than 300 aircraft by the end of 2026. This is a major step in the carrier’s plan to upgrade all its aircraft with high-speed, low-Earth-orbit satellite technology.”

From Southwest.