Amazon declared on Thursday that it has attained federal endorsement to transport its delivery drones over longer distances without requiring ground observers, overcoming a critical regulatory obstacle and paving the way for the corporation to expand the service to more areas of the U.S.

Prior to this development, Amazon was compelled to operate its drones within the direct view of a pilot. The permission granted by the Federal Aviation Administration permits Amazon to carry out flights beyond the range of an observer.

The corporation announced its intention to enlarge its delivery coverage in College Station, Texas, a city where it has been running trials.

Amazon obtained the approval subsequent to the implementation of a collision-avoidance mechanism on the drones, allowing them to “detect and evade obstacles in the airspace.” This feature has served as a crucial asset for other drone delivery firms, like Zipline, that aim to function beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).

The online retail giant’s drone delivery initiative, Prime Air, has faced challenges since its conceptualization by Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos over a decade ago.

In 2022, Amazon indicated the commencement of trial deliveries in College Station, Texas, approximately 100 miles to the northwest of Houston, and Lockeford, a town situated south of Sacramento, where the project was initially met with skepticism from the locals.

Prime Air underwent workforce reductions last year as part of broader workforce-related adjustments at Amazon. The team also encountered regulatory obstacles and leadership changes. Recently, Amazon announced the cessation of its drone operations in California in favor of commencing deliveries in Phoenix, Arizona, later this year.

The company is also considering expanding to additional U.S. cities in 2025. Amazon has articulated its goal of completing 500 million deliveries annually by drone by the conclusion of the decade.