Amazon Seeks FAA Approval for Up to 1,000 Daily Drone Flights From North Haven, Connecticut, Amid Local Objections
Why It MattersThe dispute shows that federal drone approval can still be delayed by state coastal-policy review and community noise objections, a gate that urban package-delivery operators will need to clear site by site.
Amazon has asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to approve up to 1,000 drone flights a day from a planned drone port at its North Haven, Connecticut, warehouse. Each flight would cruise at 250 feet and serve an area of about 7½ miles, roughly New Haven to Branford, with 300,000 residents. Drones would hover at about 13 feet to drop packages of up to five pounds before returning to base. Amazon plans to use MK30 drones, each with six rotors and a maximum speed of 73 mph. On take-off each drone generates 90 decibels of noise, louder than a leaf blower at 50 feet; during delivery, which takes roughly a minute below cruise altitude, noise is about as loud as a vacuum cleaner.
Amazon applied to the town last May for permission to build the drone port, and North Haven's Planning and Zoning Commission approved the plan unanimously; noise was not raised at that stage. The FAA regulates drones, so the town has limited say. The warehouse sits in an industrial area between the Wilbur Cross Parkway and I-91, with residences nearby, close to a migratory bird flyway on the Quinnipiac River and about 10 miles from Tweed airport.
After details became public, objections followed. First Selectman Michael Freda said the process was "not the right way" to proceed and called for hearings by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). The FAA asked DEEP to confirm the project fits Connecticut's coastal policies. DEEP says it received over 1,000 comments and expects a final ruling by mid-November. Freda says Amazon has put the project on hold; Amazon has not said so and has not withdrawn its FAA application.
