Amazon drones flying again, says updates on MK30 drone complete and approved for deliveries

TOI Tech Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Apr 1, 2025, 10:22 IST

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Amazon has restarted its Prime Air drone delivery service in Texas and Arizona after a two-month hiatus, following software updates and FAA approval. The company had paused operations due to altitude sensor issues caused by dust particles. The updated MK30 drones have resumed operations with increased demand and quieter performance.

Amazon drones flying again, says updates on MK30 drone complete and approved for deliveries

FILE - An Amazon company logo marks the facade of a building, March 18, 2022, in Schoenefeld near Berlin. AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

Amazon has resumed its drone delivery operations in Texas and Arizona following a two-month suspension, the company confirmed Monday. The Prime Air service restarted last week after completing software updates and receiving Federal Aviation Administration approval.
The e-commerce giant had halted deliveries in January after discovering an abnormality with the drones' altitude sensors, which could have produced inaccurate readings of the drones' position relative to the ground. The issue was reportedly caused by dust particles in the Arizona air affecting sensor readings.
"Safety underscores everything we do at Prime Air, which is why we paused our operations to conduct a software update on the MK30 drone," said Amazon spokesperson Av Zammit. "The updates are now complete and were approved by the FAA, allowing us to resume deliveries."
According to David Carbon, an executive overseeing Amazon's drone program, the company has already seen "unprecedented levels of demand" since resuming service. Carbon noted that a recent delivery of ZzzQuil sleep medicine reached an Arizona customer in just over 31 minutes.

The MK30 drone, Amazon's newest delivery model, is designed to be quieter than previous versions and can operate in light rain. This addresses concerns from residents in College Station, Texas, who had complained about noise levels from earlier drone models. Amazon plans to relocate its drone hub farther from residential areas later this year.
The resumption comes despite several test flight incidents, including crashes at Amazon's Pendleton, Oregon facility in September and December 2022, and another in February 2023. Amazon maintains these incidents were part of the testing process and unrelated to the operational pause.
Amazon continues to work toward founder Jeff Bezos' vision of ultra-fast drone deliveries, targeting 500 million packages delivered by drone annually by the end of the decade. However, hough progress has been gradual with the service currently limited to just two US markets after the Lockeford, California site was closed last April.

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