SPECIAL MENTION: 2% of the U.S.’s 5,000 airports handle 96% of the cargo. Left out are small regional airports, which simply don’t get service. One possible solution: Xwing automated flight technology, which uses autonomous software to fly small cargo planes to where they’re needed. Xwing has already succeeded in flying proof of concept flights, flown autonomously with a pilot on board, including a four-hour delivery of PPE and other essentials from Concord, Calif to a Navajo reservation in Winslow, Ariz.—Jeffrey Kluger
Correction, Nov. 10.
The original version of this story misstated the nature of the company’s proof of concept flights. There was a pilot on board as required by federal aviation rules, they were not pilotless.
More Must-Read Stories From TIME
- Employers Take Note: Young Workers Are Seeking Jobs with a Higher Purpose
- Signs Are Pointing to a Slowdown in the Housing Market—At Last
- Welcome to the Era of Unapologetic Bad Taste
- As the Virus Evolves, COVID-19 Reinfections Are Going to Keep Happening
- A New York Mosque Becomes a Refuge for Afghan Teens Who Fled Without Their Families
- High Gas Prices are Oil Companies' Fault says Ro Khanna, and Democrats Should Go After Them
- Two Million Cases: COVID-19 May Finally Force North Korea to Open Up
