Amazon expanding US drone service after regulator’s nod to fly devices

Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime Air drone program has been cleared by US regulators to fly devices beyond the visual line of sight of pilots, increasing range and giving more customers access to the service.

The approval, which means pilots won’t need to be able to see the drones with their own eyes, will allow Prime Air to scale deliveries in the US, Amazon said on its website Thursday. The company will expand the area it services with unmanned aerial vehicles in College Station, Texas, and will start integrating such shipments into its same-day delivery network this year.