Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) Knocks On Federal Aviation Administration Seeking Exemption On Drone Testing Rules

CNBC’s Sara Eisen reported today in the “Squawk Box” program that Internet retail giant Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has approached aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration with a request to “granting the internet retailer an exemption to drone testing rules” so that it can go ahead with testing of its “drone delivery service” which now have the capacity to “carry about 5 pound loads” at speeds of “over 50 miles per hour.”

Eisen reported that the Federal Aviation Administration rules “restrict testing flights to six official staging areas throughout the country” currently and went on to speculate that Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is shaping up to conduct the “drone delivery service” testing  through “outdoor flights and potentially pilot program in the Seattle area.”

Debate Rages On Safety Aspects of Testing In Populated Areas

Eisen and her guests on the show also expressed scepticism and concern on allowing Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) to test drones with payloads of five pounds over Seattle city skies by recollecting a recent incident in Seattle in which “guys were arrested for flying something around, they were commercial helicopters and they almost ran into each other.”

The participants of “Squawk Box” further went on to express fear of accidental damage to humans during the testing phase of these “drone delivery services” in a crowded city like Seattle. They further went on to wonder how Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) “drone delivery service” would be able to deliver in a city like New York which is full of skyscrapers. Eisen guest injected a bit of humour into the whole debate by speculating that in order to deposit a delivery in the fifth floor, “the windows open, it (drone delivery service) would be like hovering out there. I love the whole concept”.

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