Today, Brian Wynne, president & CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), released the following statement on the FAA’s decision to grant Amazon a Section 333 exemption to operate UAS for commercial use in the U.S.:

“This exemption will give Amazon the flexibility it needs to begin testing domestically, helping to pave the way for UAS package delivery. By granting exemptions for this type of research, the FAA helps to promote innovation and America’s global competitiveness.

“While the agency’s new summary grant process enables more commercial uses of UAS, the FAA now needs to move forward with finalizing the small UAS rule. Until this is done, many other industries remain grounded.

“At the same time, industry and government also need to work together to lay the groundwork for beyond-line-of-sight operations, a necessary prerequisite for package delivery and other transformational uses of UAS technology.”

In August 2014, AUVSI submitted comments to the FAA in support of Amazon’s request for a Section 333 exemption to test its package delivery system in the U.S. and urged the agency to consider other low-risk commercial applications. AUVSI wrote:

“Amazon’s exemption adequately addressed the safety requirements in a number of federal aviation regulations, and there is a compelling need for the FAA to allow Amazon to test their systems to ensure the next evolution in package delivery happens in the U.S. first. We hope the FAA uses any and all means to allow Amazon to test their systems domestically in a safe and responsible manner.”

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) — the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems — represents more than 7,500 members from 60+ allied countries. AUVSI members are involved in the fields of government, industry and academia.