UPS CEO says wind and rain are holding back delivery drones

United Parcel Service Inc. has been experimenting for years with drone deliveries, but that doesn’t mean the tech is ready for prime time.

“You can’t fly them when it’s windy. You can’t fly them when it’s rainy,” Chief Executive Officer Carol Tome said Tuesday during an American Chamber of Commerce event. “There are lots of issues with drones.”

The comments underscore the company’s shifting approach to unmanned aerial deliveries under Tome, who took the helm in mid-2020. Prior CEO David Abney, a vocal proponent of drone delivery who saw the technology one day ferrying packages to rural homes, pushed UPS to become the first company to gain Federal Aviation Administration authorization to operate a drone delivery airline in 2019.