Convenience or concern? Projections of thousands of flying packages worry some suburbs as Amazon pitches drone deliveries

On any given day in the suburbs, you’ll see an Amazon truck parked on a local street to make a delivery.

But in the future, some residents may look skyward for their packages to descend via drone.

The Federal Aviation Administration is evaluating a proposal from Amazon Prime Air to launch a fleet of drones from four delivery centers in the region, which could entail thousands of flights a day, officials said.

The retail giant identified Markham and Matteson as chosen locations at a community meeting in March. The other sites are in Winfield and Morton Grove, according to an April 23 FAA memo.

Amazon has been a “great partner,” Winfield Village Manager Evan Summers said. But “we obviously have concerns regarding protecting the quality of life for our residents. It’s up to the FAA to ensure that commercial objectives are balanced with smart regulations.”

Other issues include drone weight, the newness of the technology and the fact the village has little control over what happens, Summers noted.

“The FAA has made it very clear: The village has no jurisdiction in the regulation of drones,” he said.

Morton Grove told Amazon “in no uncertain terms that this was not an acceptable use and would negatively impact our residents,” Mayor Janine Witko said Friday.

“The village cares deeply about preserving the natural ambiance of our community including the air above our residents and visitors who come to enjoy our forest preserves, parks and restaurants who would be significantly impacted by this use which is not approved or authorized within the village,” Witko said.

The unmanned, battery-powered MK30 drones used by Prime Air weigh 78 pounds and carry a maximum of five pounds, with a cruising speed of 62 mph and a range of 7.5 miles, according to the FAA memo.

Prime Air is expected to take an “incremental approach” but could ramp up to 1,000 daily deliveries deploying from each center by 2031. That would mean 2,000 outbound and inbound flights, officials said.

Amazon indicated the numbers are not set in stone and could not officially confirm the northwest suburban sites.

“We are always exploring new ways to let customers (experience) a wider selection at faster speeds,” Amazon spokesperson Cait Freda said. “The response from customers using Prime Air has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We are currently working with local officials, and evaluating opportunities to expand our fast, reliable drone delivery service to reach customers in the Chicago metro area.”

Prime Air already offers “ultrafast drone delivery across a vast selection of products to customers in Arizona, Michigan, Texas, Florida and Kansas,” Freda noted.

The company debuted drone service in 2022 and offers more than 60,000 products within 60 minutes. The cost is $4.99 for Prime members and $9.99 for nonmembers.

Amazon officials noted drones are equipped with multiple overlapping safety systems designed to detect and avoid obstacles. If problems arise, they are programmed to return to their base or land safely.

Drones typically hover at about 13 feet before releasing packages,

A Prime Air drone crashed in Richardson, Texas, this February after hitting the side of an apartment but no one was injured.

Des Plaines is near Morton Grove, and Mayor Andrew Goczkowski has questions about “about the speed that these things are going to be going at, the noise that they’re going to create, and the hours that they’re going to be operating in,” he said.

A FAA spokesman told the Daily Herald safely integrating drones into the National Airspace System is a top priority.

“Our role is to ensure drones can operate safely alongside other aircraft. In most locations, flying a drone is legal when it is operated below 400 feet,” Public Affairs Specialist Rick Breitenfeldt explained.

“Amazon Prime Air operates under an FAA exemption with specific conditions and limitations. To expand to a new city, the company must complete required assessments, submit operational plans, and work with the FAA to demonstrate it can operate safely in that location,” he said.

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