Google parent Alphabet just beat Amazon to the punch in an incredibly important business: Drone deliveries.

Wing, an Alphabet subsidiary focused on commercial drones, has received approval from the FAA to operate as an airline, a certification that will allow it to move ahead with plans to experiment with drone deliveries in the US, a service it has already launched in parts of Australia (the suburbs around North Canberra) to mixed reviews.

However, Wing will need to move quickly if it wants to stay ahead of the competition because the regulatory win has cleared the way for its competitors to seek approvals of their own.

• GOOGLE SPINOFF IS FIRST TO GET FAA APPROVAL TO DELIVER BY DRONE
• ALPHABET'S WING BECOMES FIRST DRONE FIRM APPROVED AS AN AIRLINE
• WING’S NEW STATUS CLEARS WAY FOR OTHERS SEEKING DRONE COMMERCE
• WING TO START SIGNING UP RURAL VIRGINIA CUSTOMERS THIS SUMMER

Wing is wasting no time in bringing its delivery service to market and will begin making deliveries of small items in two rural Virginia communities this summer, per BBG.

"It’s an exciting moment for us to have earned the FAA’s approval to actually run a business with our technology," Wing Chief Executive Officer James Ryan Burgess told BBG. He called the approval "pivotal" both for his company and the drone industry in general.

The company is already testing its delivery business in Europe and is planning to expand drone deliveries in Australia through partnerships with local businesses.