Mesa wants to be first US airline to deliver food by drone

Mesa Air Group is looking to enter the drone food delivery business with the purchase of four pilotless aircraft from startup Flirtey. Mesa, a Phoenix-based regional carrier, has an option to buy 500 additional drones, the two companies announced Thursday. Terms weren’t disclosed. The deal marks the first time a US airline has attempted to break into the so-called last-mile delivery business. Autonomous drone delivery appeals to restaurants, pharmacies and retailers as a potentially faster, cheaper way to deliver small parcels than paying drivers to fight through traffic and find parking. The labor shortage currently afflicting the restaurant industry only makes drones more appealing. US approval of routine deliveries by small flying robots remains years away. The FAA has yet to write regulations governing such operations, and Flirtey hasn’t won approval to conduct the kind of robust tests being done by Alphabet’s Wing LLC and United Parcel Service. Amazon.com, which in 2013 said it could start making drone deliveries within four or five years, hasn’t moved beyond the testing phase. Mesa, which operates 600 daily flights with 145 aircraft, has experience navigating FAA regulations, arguably making it a natural partner for a drone startup.<br/>