– Vodafone has collaborated with Manna Air Delivery in Ireland, a company with six years of experience in urban drone deliveries, to remotely pilot a delivery drone over two kilometres using Vodafone’s mobile network. Enabling Communication in the Skies Manna, which has completed approximately 200,000 deliveries, recently worked with Vodafone to test how mobile technology […]
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New approval enables large-scale, address-free drone delivery across the U.S. Dayton-based drone delivery company DEXA has announced it has secured a national waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), allowing its drones to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) without case-by-case approvals. This achievement positions DEXA among a small group of U.S. drone operators […]
In a move that sets a new standard for drone logistics in the U.S., autonomous drone delivery startup DEXA (formerly widely referred to as Drone Express) just received a key approval.
DEXA announced today that it received a national BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), allowing its aircraft to operate long-range drone flights in the U.S. without case-by-case FAA approval. This waiver is among the most significant regulatory achievements in the drone industry and places DEXA in rare company alongside tech giants like Amazon Prime Air, Wing (Google), and Zipline.
But what makes this announcement especially noteworthy isn’t just the milestone — it’s how DEXA got here.
DEXA holds all three FAA pillars
(Photo courtesy of DEXA)
DEXA now holds the trifecta of FAA approvals required to operate scalable, commercial drone delivery nationwide. Those are:
FAA Airworthiness Certification – confirming that DEXA’s custom-built drones are safe and reliable for commercial operations.
Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate – allowing the company to legally transport goods for compensation, a requirement for BVLOS operations.
National BVLOS Waiver – enabling DEXA to fly drones beyond visual range anywhere in the U.S. without needing separate flight approvals.
This national waiver dramatically reduces operational complexity and overhead, unlocking the potential for scalable drone delivery to any community in the U.S.
“We’re excited to move forward with BVLOS operations and bring the benefits of drone delivery to more people and businesses around the country,” said Russell Kline, DEXA’s Chief Regulatory Officer in a prepared statement. “This nationwide waiver enables us to deliver on our promise of faster, smarter logistics in communities across the country.”
DEXA is the tiny drone delivery startup you need to watch out for
(Photo courtesy of DEXA)
DEXA’s achievement is all the more remarkable considering the company has raised just $15 million. That’s a sliver compared to the hundreds of millions required by competitors to reach similar milestones. For example, Zipline has raised $1.23 billion, according to PitchBook. Wing is backed by Alphabet, the company formerly known as Google.
“This approval is a testament not just for our regulatory clearances, but also to how efficiently our team has worked together to get to this point,” said Beth Flippo, DEXA’s CEO.
That lean ethos carries over into DEXA’s business model, too. Unlike other drone operators who are vertically tied to large retailers (think Amazon or Walmart, DEXA is building a direct-to-consumer drone marketplace.
The DEXA Now app
Through its DEXA NOW app, customers will be able to shop from participating local retailers, including grocers, pet stores and pharmacies. Current partners include grocery chain Kroger and pizza chain Papa John’s.
Drones will then deliver goods within minutes to a user’s real-time location — no fixed address required. For a $6/month subscription, users get unlimited deliveries at in-store prices, without hidden fees or tipping.
By removing the traditional logistics bottlenecks and infrastructure costs, DEXA offers small businesses a way to compete with big-box and online retailers on delivery speed and convenience. Kroger might not have the scale as Walmart to run its own drone deliveries, but DEXA serves as a supporter.
Company culture at DEXA
DEXA is led by Beth Flippo, a self-described “modern-day Frankenstein,” as she referred to herself in a 2024 interview with The Drone Girl.
Flippo began her career as an embedded systems engineer. Her early work in wireless mesh networking for drones led her family’s defense contracting firm into the world of autonomous logistics.
Photo courtesy of Beth Flippo
That pivot gave birth to Drone Express—now known as DEXA. Armed with experience at firms like Goldman Sachs, Cantor Fitzgerald and TELEGRID Technologies, Flippo combines financial acumen with technical ingenuity.
But she’s also on a mission to feminize and humanize tech and aviation.
“Our office has a pink couch,” she said in that 2024 interview with The Drone Girl. “I decided to embrace my femininity. I believe the future is female, and I’m proud to lead a company that reflects that.”
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– Vodafone has collaborated with Manna Air Delivery in Ireland, a company with six years of experience in urban drone deliveries, to remotely pilot a delivery drone over two kilometres using Vodafone’s mobile network. Enabling Communication in the Skies Manna, which has completed approximately 200,000 deliveries, recently worked with Vodafone to test how mobile technology […]
