Amazon is bringing drone delivery back to California

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Set us as preferred Amazon customers in Tracy, Calif., could soon receive their packages from an autonomous drone in as little as 30 minutes.The e-commerce giant is preparing to launch its Prime Air service in Tracy as part of a broader expansion effort that will bring delivery drones to 500 cities and towns by the end of the year.

Prime Air already operates in 11 communities, including San Antonio, Baton Rouge and Kansas City.Business The e-commerce giant said customers will have the option to get items delivered in three hours or less if they pay a fee.Amazon launched its first-ever drones in California in the Lockeford area in 2022.

Drone delivery ended in the state about a year later, but is set to return within a month.Critics have said the drones are susceptible to security risks including hacking and package theft, as well as risks associated with an overcrowded airspace.

Recent drone deliveries have not been flawless — a video spread across the internet earlier this month after an Amazon drone dropped a Texas customer’s package into her swimming pool.Business Delivery drones are supposed to be fast, yet the long-promised technology has been slow to take off in the United States.But Amazon said its Prime Air program is improving as it grows.

“Every flight that we take starts with safety,” Erik Robertson, Prime Air regional operations manager for the West, said in an interview.“We love what we’re doing for our customers right now.

We have a lot of items to offer the community and the feedback has been tremendous.”Community members will get a chance to preview the drone Saturday at the Sweet Dreams Car Show in downtown Tracy.The drones are authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration and travel at altitudes between 250 and 400 feet, Robertson said.

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