The director of safety, flight operations, and regulatory affairs at Amazon Inc‘s AMZN drone delivery unit, Sean Cassidy, has announced his departure from the company. Cassidy was a pivotal figure in Amazon’s drone delivery program “Prime Air,” serving as the primary liaison with federal regulators.
What Happened: As reported by CNBC, Cassidy joined Amazon in 2015, bringing his experience as a former vice president of the world’s largest pilots union and Alaska Airlines pilot to the table. His role was instrumental in navigating the company’s relations with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to launch the drone delivery program.
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Despite securing Part 135 certification from the FAA in 2020, which enabled the use of drones for package delivery under certain constraints, Amazon’s drone program has encountered numerous challenges. These include layoffs, regulatory roadblocks, and difficulties in achieving delivery goals. Although Amazon managed to clear a significant regulatory hurdle in October when the FAA amended drone flight restrictions, the National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating a crash at Amazon’s drone test site.
Amazon has not made a public statement regarding Cassidy’s departure.
Why It Matters: This is not the first executive departure for “Prime Air.” Earlier this year, Jim Mullin, Prime Air’s chief pilot, and Robert Dreer, responsible for test operations, also left the company.
Despite these setbacks, Amazon has continued to expand its drone delivery services. In October, the company started delivering prescriptions via drones in College Station, Texas. Soon after, Amazon announced plans to extend its drone delivery service to the United Kingdom and Italy, as well as to a third U.S. state.
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