Google drone delivery gets FAA clearance

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday awarded the first air carrier certification to a drone delivery company, Google spinoff Wing Aviation.

“This is an important step forward for the safe testing and integration of drones into our economy,” Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said in a statement.

“Safety continues to be our No. 1 priority as this technology continues to develop and realize its full potential,” she added.

The certification means Wing will now be able to start commercial package delivery in Blacksburg, Va., according to the FAA.

Executives from Wing, a delivery venture that is part of Google parent company Alphabet, told Bloomberg News they plan to expand the service to other parts of Virginia and around the country.

“It’s an exciting moment for us have earned the FAA’s approval to actually run a business with our technology,” Wing CEO James Ryan Burgess told the outlet.

Wing beats out certification for Amazon’s Prime Air, which has long sought for the FAA to change its rules around drones so that it can test package delivery by drone.