Flytrex announced last week that it has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expand its delivery radius to one nautical mile across all its operating stations in North Carolina. With a rapidly growing list of collaborations with leading restaurant and retail chains – far more than any other drone delivery company – Flytrex has already completed thousands of deliveries: More home deliveries via drone than any other company in the U.S. This newly granted approval permits the pioneering drone delivery company to operate its five-minute delivery service above people and moving vehicles. As part of the approval, deliveries will be made in cooperation with longtime partner Causey Aviation Unmanned, offering food, drinks and other goods to approximately 10,000 eligible households that can opt into the service. Flytrex and Causey will conduct all flights while maintaining the highest safety standards.
This approval comes on the heels of several milestones for Flytrex. Most recently, Flytrex raised a $40 million Series C funding round to ramp up expansion throughout the U.S. and advance partnerships with leading retailers and quick-service restaurants (QSRs). In October 2021, Flytrex launched its third drone delivery station in North Carolina, delivering food orders from restaurants and chains at the Holly Springs Towne Center to residents’ backyards. Flytrex has been operating in the ‘First in Flight’ state since September 2020, beginning in Fayetteville, NC, and expanding its service to the town of Raeford, NC. Since February 2021, the volume of Flytrex orders across its North Carolina operations has increased more than tenfold, with thousands of deliveries to date.
The process for ordering delivery via drone will remain the same at each location. Eligible households will be able to purchase a wide variety of food orders and goods from nearby stores and local restaurants and cafes. Orders are placed using the Flytrex app, which updates customers regarding their order status along the route until the package is lowered safely by wire into their backyards.
“Drone delivery is reaching new heights faster than anyone could have expected. This approval from the FAA will allow us to cater to the growing demand for fast and efficient on-demand delivery in suburban America,” said Yariv Bash, co-founder and CEO of Flytrex. “We look forward to continuing on this exciting flightpath, bringing five-minute delivery to the millions of backyards across the USA.”
Since successfully launching the world’s first fully autonomous urban drone delivery system in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2017, Flytrex has been helping to get drone delivery off the ground. Flytrex is working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, one of eight participants in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) BEYOND Initiative, a project focused on tackling the remaining challenges of UAS integration. The joint industry/government team also participated in the FAA’s initial UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP), which concluded in October 2020.
