Delivery drones held back by wind and rain says UPS CEO
Delivery drones are held back by wind and rain, said UPS Chief Executive Officer Carol Tome earlier this week, according to Bloomberg.
Transport and logistics company, United Parcel Service has been testing with unmanned aircraft to make deliveries of packages to customers in their UPS Flight Forward program. However, this might not mean that the technology is ready to be deployed at a large scale. Apart from regulatory restrictions, the CEO of UPS has expressed her concerns about the feasibility of this revolutionary delivery method.
During an American Chamber of Commerce event, Chief Executive Officer Carol Tome said on Tuesday the following about delivery drones:
“You can't fly them when it's windy. You can't fly them when it's rainy. There are lots of issues with drones.”
The CEO Tome's comments indicate a dramatic shift in attitude towards using drones to deliver packages. Tome started in her new position as Chief Executive Officer of UPS in mid-2020.
The previous CEO, David Abney was a strong proponent of delivery drones. Under his leadership, UPS became the first company to receive approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate as a drone delivery airline in 2019. Abney also pushed for UPS to start testing with drones to deliver packages to remote areas.
Delivery drones are successful elsewhere
It is interesting to hear, Tome expresses her concerns about drones being a viable transportation option when companies such as Zipline, Swoop Aero, and Manna Aero are being very successful with their delivery drones.
Let us know what you think about the drastic shift in the approach that UPS takes towards delivery drones in the comments below.
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Haye Kesteloo
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It seems like alphabet’s WING program and others are moving forward regardless of UPS’s dilemma. I find it hard to believe that weather is the main issue. Perhaps a design flaw in the aircraft or other lack of solutions are to blame.