How Amazon and UPS Are Building Drone Fleets in the FAA Registry

A New Kind of Fleet Owner

Scroll through the FAA Civil Aviation Registry and you will increasingly find names that do not belong to traditional aviation companies. Amazon, UPS, Wing (a subsidiary of Alphabet), Zipline, and other technology and logistics firms are registering growing fleets of unmanned aircraft systems — commonly called drones — as they build out commercial delivery and logistics networks.

UPS Flight Forward

UPS Flight Forward became the first company to receive FAA Part 135 certification for drone airline operations in 2019. This certification allows UPS to fly drones commercially, including beyond visual line of sight, under a framework similar to traditional cargo carriers. UPS has used drones primarily for medical supply delivery on hospital campuses, where predictable routes and critical cargo make the business case compelling.

Amazon Prime Air

Amazon Prime Air has been developing consumer package delivery drones for years and has registered aircraft in the FAA system as it conducts test flights and limited commercial operations. Amazon goal — drone delivery to customer doorsteps within 30 minutes — would require registering and operating thousands of drones at scale. The company has faced regulatory hurdles, but its fleet in the registry continues to grow.

Zipline and Medical Delivery

Zipline operates fixed-wing delivery drones that can carry medical supplies, food, and packages over longer distances than multicopter drones. Originally built for healthcare logistics in Rwanda, Zipline expanded its U.S. operations and its presence in the FAA registry. Its aircraft are distinctive fixed-wing platforms designed for automated operations without a human pilot on board.

Regulatory Framework

Commercial drone operations in the United States are governed primarily by FAA Part 107 regulations for small drones and Part 135 for certified drone airlines. The FAA also operates a separate DroneZone registration system for recreational and small commercial drones, which is distinct from the main civil aviation registry. Larger commercial unmanned aircraft typically appear in the full civil registry.

To see the current landscape of aircraft types registered in the U.S., browse the aircraft type index or explore the most common aircraft models in the registry.