SEATTLE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Federal regulators have given Amazon permission to expand its drone delivery program.

Amazon said that the FAA has given its Prime Air delivery service the OK to operate drones remotely, removing a barrier that has prevented its drones from traveling longer distances.

An FAA spokesperson said the approval only applies to College Station, Texas, where the company launched drone deliveries in late 2022.

But Amazon says the approval from regulators also lays the foundation to scale its operations to more locations around the country.

Businesses have wanted simpler rules that could open neighborhood skies to new commercial applications of drones, but privacy advocates and some airplane and balloon pilots remain wary.

Amazon said it received approval from regulators after developing a strategy that ensures its drones could detect and avoid obstacles in the air.

By the end of the decade, the company has a goal of delivering 500 million packages by drone every year.