Amazon says it will begin using drones to deliver packages to customers for the first time later this year, subject to final regulatory approval.
Users in the Californian town of Lockeford will be able to sign up to have thousands of goods delivered to their homes by air, according to the company.
For years, Amazon has promised drone delivery, but there have been delays and reported setbacks.
However, it stated that it intended to expand the service after Lockeford.
“The promise of drone delivery has often felt like science fiction,” it said in a blog post. “[But] later this year, Amazon customers living in Lockeford, California, will become among the first to receive Prime Air deliveries.
“Their feedback about Prime Air will help us create a service that will safely scale to meet the needs of customers everywhere.”
Amazon said the drones will be programmed to deliver packages to customers’ homes in Lockeford, a town of about 4,000 people.
They will be able to fly “beyond-line-of-sight,” which means they will not need to be controlled visually and will instead use sensors to avoid other aircraft, people, pets, and obstacles.
According to the retailer, the goal is to deliver packages to customers safely in less than an hour.
