Wing wins FAA authorisation to support fast-mile delivery in Dallas Fort Worth airspace

Drone services company Wing reports approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the company’s detect and avoid (DAA) approach for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations without visual observers. The summary grant allows Wing drones to use Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast-based (ADS-B) DAA inside a major area of Dallas airspace where traditional aircraft are required to continually broadcast their position.

Wing is already serving customers at a 6-mile radius from nests in Frisco. This summary grant enables Wing to move toward BVLOS operations without visual observers across Dallas and similar airspace surrounding other major US cities, adding to the momentum of the drone delivery industry at large, says the company.

According to Wing, the company flies within underutilized airspace over populated areas and conducts aviation community outreach, recognizing and working with other users of the surrounding airspace. It uses this holistic approach to BVLOS flight for commercial deliveries on three continents for several years. It is grounded in avoiding potential conflict before flights ever take off and utilizes in-flight DAA to add an additional layer of safety. Wing says it demonstrates the effectiveness and safety of this approach with operational flight data, extensive simulation, and flight test.

The FAA’s approval for DAA and recognition of broader strategic deconfliction and UTM applications now allows Wing to operate more efficiently and work toward scaled operations nationwide. Starting with communities across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, this action supports a path toward expanding services across the US. Wing estimates fast-mile drone delivery at scale could support 2% of purchases in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, using services that are faster, cheaper and more convenient for customers.