The US Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) has granted its first - ever approval for commercial drone flights , enabling blood samples to be ferried across a North Carolina hospital campus . The revenue flights project , a partnership between UPS and FAA , would shuttle between a nearby medical park and a main hospital building at least six times daily . The initial half - hour route could also be used to assist in longer journeys , according to Matternet CEO Andreas Raptopoulos . The North Carolina scheme is one of nine FAA projects exploring the integration of drones for various tasks .
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted its first-ever approval for commercial drone flights, enabling blood samples to be ferried across a North Carolina hospital campus. The revenue flights project, a partnership between UPS and Matternet, will shuttle between a WakeMed medical park and a main hospital building at least six times daily. The initial half-kilometre route could also be expanded to take in longer journeys, according to Matternet CEO Andreas Raptopoulos. The North Carolina scheme is one of nine FAA projects exploring the integration of drones for various tasks.