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 WakeMed program will start by flying patients’ medical samples one-third of a mile (.5 kilometer) from a medical park to the main hospital building for lab testing at least six times a day five days a week, Matternet CEO Andreas Raptopoulos said in an interview. 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 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 .