Amazon (AMZN.US) suspends Italian drone delivery plan, commercial regulatory environment becomes a “roadblock”

The Zhitong Finance App learned that Amazon (AMZN.US) said on Sunday that after a strategic evaluation, the company had suspended plans to launch commercial drone delivery services in Italy.

An Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed statement, “Despite positive communication and progress with Alitalia regulators, the country's broader commercial regulatory framework currently does not support the long-term goals of the plan.”

Prior to this move, Amazon had active talks with the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) in June. At the time, the two sides discussed the progress of Amazon's drone delivery project in the San Salvo (San Salvo) region.

“Our drone delivery programs in the US and UK are still actively progressing, and test flights and commercial deliveries have proven to be successful and have been well received by customers,” the spokesperson added.