The Federal Aviation Administration approves the first fully automated commercial drone flights

Aviation regulators in the United States have approved the first fully automated commercial drone flights, and a small Massachusetts-based company has given permission to operate drones without operational training or direct monitoring by human observers or observers.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s decision limits unmanned operation in rural areas and altitudes of under 400 feet, but is a potentially important step in Expanding commercial applications for drones To farmers, utilities, mining companies, and other customers.

It also marked another step in the Federal Aviation Administration A broader effort to allow for large-scale flights By moving away from case-by-case exemptions for specific vehicles that perform specific tasks.

In approval documents published on a government website on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that once such automated drone operations are conducted on a larger scale, it could mean „efficiency for the many industries that fuel our economy like agriculture, mining, transportation“ and some manufacturing sectors.

Previously FAA Drones were allowed to inspect railroad tracksPipelines and some industrial sites are out of sight of the pilots or observers on the ground as long as these personnel are relatively close.