DALLAS — UPS has gotten government approval to operate a nationwide fleet of drones, letting the company expand deliveries on hospital campuses and move closer to delivering to consumers. Many regulatory obstacles remain, however, before UPS, or other operators who are testing drones, can fill the sky over cities and suburbs with drones carrying goods to people’s doorsteps.

United Parcel Service Inc. said Tuesday its drone subsidiary was awarded an airline certificate last week by the Federal Aviation Administration. Even before getting that designation, UPS Flight Forward, as the subsidiary is called, has operated more than 1,000 flights at WakeMed in Raleigh, N.C.