Arlington, Va. - The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) issued the following statement after the announcement that Amazon Prime Air will launch customer delivery operations in Lockeford, California:

AUVSI applauds Amazon Prime Air's announcement that they will soon commence their first drone delivery program in the United States, taking place in northern California. As one of three companies to have earned a FAA air carrier certificate to conduct drone delivery under Part 135, this news is another example of the progress that the drone industry is making toward scalable and commercial drone delivery services. Commercial drone operations are already providing essential services to the American public, including drone delivery, infrastructure inspection, public safety operations and more, however, the potential for expansion of operations remains tremendous. AUVSI will continue to work tirelessly to help the drone industry simultaneously provide workforce, economic and environmental benefits.

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