Amazon to Expand Drone Delivery to Nearly 500 US Cities
The company plans to more than sixfold its drone delivery footprint by year-end, adding suburban areas around Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland and Boise.
Amazon announced Thursday it will expand drone delivery of lightweight packages to nearly 500 U.S. cities by the end of the year, a more than sixfold increase in its current operation.
The expansion will bring the service to new suburban areas, including the metro regions of Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland and Boise. Customers could receive deliveries in as fast as 30 minutes, and the drones can carry packages up to 5 pounds, according to a company news release.
The move intensifies competition between Amazon and Walmart, both of which use a mix of drones and human drivers to speed up deliveries.
Amazon's drones currently operate at 11 sites across Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas, launching from warehouses and covering about 175 square miles each. CEO Andy Jassy told shareholders in April that Amazon aims to serve communities with 30 million customers by year-end and to deliver half a billion packages by the end of the decade.
Despite the growth, drones will still handle only a fraction of Amazon's hundreds of millions of annual package deliveries. Challenges include the 5-pound weight limit, obstacles like tree cover and swimming pools that complicate drop zones, regulatory approval needed in each community, and noise complaints.
"It's still an experiment. It's still in test and learn mode," said Sucharita Kodali, a retail analyst with Forrester. She said drones could prove especially useful for urgent, lightweight deliveries such as prescription medications, though it remains unclear how often customers will keep using the service after initial curiosity fades.
The service will be free for Amazon Prime members ordering more than $50 worth of goods; smaller Prime orders cost $2.99, while non-members pay $4.99. DoorDash and other delivery companies are also experimenting with drone delivery of food and other goods.
Amazon is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and has waivers to fly drones beyond the pilots' line of sight. A federal proposal that would allow more operators to fly beyond the horizon has not yet been finalized.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
