Amazon has lost a high-profile executive in its drone delivery unit who was the company’s primary liaison with federal regulators, CNBC has learned.
Sean Cassidy, Prime Air’s director of safety, flight operations and regulatory affairs, announced his departure from the company last week in an internal note to employees, a copy of which was viewed by CNBC. Amazon hired Cassidy, a former Alaska Airlines pilot and vice president of the world’s largest pilots union, in 2015 to oversee strategic partnerships in the drone program.
“This is my last day at Prime Air and at Amazon, so a quick note to pass along my profound thanks to so many of my friends and colleagues here who have made this nearly nine year journey such an amazing experience,” Cassidy wrote in the memo.
Cassidy oversaw much of Amazon’s relations with the Federal Aviation Administration as it sought to get the ambitious drone delivery program, a pet project of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, off the ground. Bezos predicted a decade ago that a fleet of Amazon drones would take to the skies in about five years, dropping packages on customers’ doorsteps in 30 minutes or less. That vision hasn’t materialized as quickly as Bezos hoped.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Cassidy’s departure.
In August 2020, Amazon received Part 135 certification from the FAA, allowing it to use drones to deliver packages, but with some restrictions. Last year, Amazon announced it would begin testing drone deliveries in two small markets in California and Texas.
But just as the program appeared to be set to expand, Prime Air in January was by layoffs as part of broader job cuts at Amazon. It has also been beset with regulatory setbacks, and has struggled to meet delivery goals. In August, the unit lost two executives key to its operations, CNBC previously reported.
David Carbon, Amazon’s drone delivery head and a former Boeing executive, previously set an internal target to make 10,000 deliveries in 2023…
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