Amazon has won U.S. federal regulators ' approval to test its drone delivery service . The . e-commerce giant hopes to speed packages to . customers through the air - despite public concern over the safety . and privacy implications . The Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday it had . issued an experimental airworthiness certificate to an Amazon . unit and its prototype drone design , allowing it to conduct . outdoor test flights on private , rural land in Washington state . Scroll down for video . the company must supply monthly data to the regulators , and conduct flights at 400 feet ( 120 metres ) orbelow and in 'visual meteorological conditions , ' Amazon is developing aerial vehicles as part of Amazon Prime Air . The aircraft can travel at more than 50mph and carry loads of up to 5 pounds . About 86 percent of Amazon 's deliveries are 5 pounds or less , the company said . 'We believe customers will love it , and we are committed to making Prime Air available to customers worldwide as soon as we are permitted to do so , ' Amazon has said . The experimental certificate applies to a particular drone . design and Amazon must obtain a new certification for test . flights if it modifies the drone . In return , the company must supply monthly data to the . regulators , and conduct flights at 400 feet ( 120 metres ) or . below and in 'visual meteorological conditions , ' according to . the FAA 's certificate . The drone operators must also have a private pilots ' license . and current medical certification . Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos wants to use drones - . small unmanned aircraft - to deliver packages as part of a. program dubbed 'Prime Air . ' The company is developing drones . that can fly at speeds of 50 miles per hour ( 80 kph ) , operate . autonomously and sense and avoid objects . Amazon sought permission from the FAA to test drones in . outdoor areas near Seattle , where one of its research and . development labs is working on the technology . The company has . conducted test flights outside the United States , in countries . with looser restrictions . In February , the FAA proposed long-awaited rules to try to . set universal guidelines for drones , addressing growing interest . from both individual and corporations in using unmanned aerial . vehicles . The draft rules , nearly 10 years in the making , still . must undergo public comment and revision before becoming final , . a process expected to take at least a year . Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment . It has previously threatened to take its testing outside the US . 'In the absence of a timely approval by the FAA to conduct outdoor testing , we have begun utilizing outdoor testing facilities outside the United States , ' Amazon vice president Paul Misener said in a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration . 'These non-US facilities enable us to quickly build and modify our Prime Air vehicles as we construct new designs and make improvements , ' he said .
Amazon gave go-ahead for trials on private rural land in Washington State . FAA hope Prime Air service could make deliveries in under 30 minutes .