Drone Deliveries Coming to New York as Amazon Plans Expansion to Nearly 500 U.S. Cities
Amazon is dramatically expanding its drone delivery program, announcing plans to bring its Prime Air service to nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns by the end of 2026, a roughly sixfold increase from its current footprint. The expansion marks a major step forward for a project first unveiled nearly 13 years ago • Read More
Amazon is dramatically expanding its drone delivery program, announcing plans to bring its Prime Air service to nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns by the end of 2026, a roughly sixfold increase from its current footprint. The expansion marks a major step forward for a project first unveiled nearly 13 years ago.
Prime Air currently operates from 11 locations across seven states, including Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas. Amazon says it has already completed hundreds of thousands of drone deliveries this year, with thousands of packages being delivered each day.
The company plans to launch the service soon in the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta, Syracuse, New York, and Boise, Idaho, with additional communities expected to be added later this year. The expansion is expected to bring drone delivery to tens of millions of customers.
The autonomous drones are designed to deliver eligible packages weighing up to five pounds and capable of fitting inside a large shoebox.
Amazon says more than 60% of the items customers most frequently purchase are eligible for drone delivery, including groceries, electronics, cosmetics, medications and household products.
Deliveries can arrive in as little as 30 minutes, although Amazon says most orders currently arrive in about an hour.
Amazon’s latest MK30 drones use cameras and sensors to navigate and detect obstacles, with an onboard “Detect-and-Avoid” system designed to monitor the surrounding airspace and make real-time safety decisions. The company says the drones operate under FAA Part 135 certification, the regulatory framework used for commercial air carriers.
The expansion comes as Amazon seeks to make drone delivery a significant part of its logistics network after years of development. Bezos first publicly unveiled the idea of delivering packages by drone in 2013, describing it at the time as a vision that sounded like science fiction.
The rollout is also likely to intensify competition with Walmart, which has been expanding its own drone delivery operations across the United States.
At the same time, Amazon’s growing drone fleet is expected to bring renewed attention to concerns over noise, privacy and safety in communities where the aircraft will operate.
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