Amazon is planning a major expansion of its Prime Air drone delivery service, with the company aiming to reach nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns by the end of 2026.
The expansion would increase Prime Air’s current footprint about sixfold and give tens of millions more customers access to deliveries that Amazon says can arrive in as little as 30 minutes.
Prime Air currently operates from 11 delivery sites serving metro areas that include Phoenix; Tampa, Florida; Kansas City, Kansas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Detroit; Omaha, Nebraska; Houston; Dallas; San Antonio; and Waco, Texas.
Amazon says service will soon expand to the Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta, Boise and Syracuse metro areas, with more communities expected to be added later this year.
Eligible products generally weigh 5 pounds or less and must fit inside a large shoebox. The company says qualifying items include groceries, medications, electronics, cosmetics, and household essentials.
Prime members can receive free drone delivery on orders of $50 or more. Orders below that amount cost $2.99 for Prime members, while nonmembers pay $4.99.
Customers in areas served by Prime Air see a drone-delivery option at checkout and select a location on their property for the package to be dropped. The drone checks that the delivery area is clear before lowering or releasing the package.
Amazon says its drones operate under Federal Aviation Administration Part 135 certification and use cameras and sensors to navigate and avoid obstacles. The company says the aircraft are electric and can operate in light rain.
The expansion comes as federal regulators consider changes that could accelerate the growth of commercial drone delivery. The FAA has proposed rules that would make it easier for certified operators to fly drones beyond a pilot’s visual line of sight, reducing the need for individual waivers and potentially making large-scale delivery networks less expensive to operate.
Source: USA Today