UPS gets government approval to become a drone airline

DALLAS (AP) – UPS says it won government approval to run a drone airline, and it plans to expand deliveries on hospital campuses and eventually other industries.

United Parcel Service Inc. said Tuesday that its drone subsidiary was awarded an airline certificate last week by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Even before getting the airline designation, UPS Flight Forward, as the subsidiary is called, has operated more than 1,000 flights at Wake Forest University’s medical center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao calls the airline designation a step forward in integrating drones into the U.S. airspace, according to a statement released by the company.

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)