Update on Drone Deliveries in 2024

2024 is the year of ecommerce drone deliveries. The recent expansion of pilot programs from drone operators partnering with established brands and retailers, as a result of Congress and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration action, is making scaled-up drone deliveries a reality in the U.S. Internationally, drone deliveries are doing even better.

Here is a list of recent developments on drone deliveries in 2024. Regulatory approvals and legislative support ensure that drone operators and commercial users will continue to expand operations.

FAA Expands UTM, BVLOS

For the first time in the U.S., the Federal Aviation Authority has authorized multiple operators — Zipline and Wing — to fly commercial drones without visual observers in the same airspace. The two companies can now deliver packages simultaneously while keeping their drones separated using Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) technology. UTM enables third-party management of airspace with FAA oversight. Through UTM, companies can share data and planned flight routes with other authorized airspace users.

The FAA expects initial UTM flights in the Dallas, Texas, region to begin in August, with more authorizations in that area shortly. The companies began testing the UTM system with beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights in the Dallas area in 2023, with simulations. All flights occur below 400 feet altitude and away from any crewed aircraft.

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FAA Reauthorization Bill

In May, President Biden signed the FAA Reauthorization Bill, following overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress. The bill directs the FAA to establish a pathway beyond the visual line of sight and create two additional test sites for companies using unmanned aircraft for package delivery or other operations. It also gives the FAA enforcement authority to prohibit the unauthorized or unsafe use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

The bill also continues the BEYOND program, launched in 2020, for five years. The program focuses on working toward operating under established rules rather than waivers, collecting data to develop performance-based standards, collecting and addressing community feedback, understanding the potential and realized societal, economic, and community benefits of drone use, and streamlining the approval processes for drone integration.

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Walmart’s Drone Delivery Integrations

Walmart is expanding drone delivery to the ordering experience on its app. Walmart is notifying eligible customers in Dallas-Fort Worth of the new drone-delivery option based on the address associated with their account. The company is completing the integration in phases as more drone delivery sites launch and drone providers receive additional regulatory approvals to fly more goods across greater distances.

Earlier this year, Walmart announced the largest drone delivery expansion of any U.S. retailer, including stores across more than 30 towns and municipalities in the Dallas area. The expansion makes drone delivery a reality for up to 1.8 million additional households, 75% of the Dallas-Fort Worth population. The deliveries are powered by on-demand drone delivery providers Wing and Zipline.

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Amazon Prime Air: FAA Expansion

The FAA has granted Amazon Prime Air additional permissions that allow it to operate drones beyond visual line of sight, enabling it to serve more customers via drone and effectively expand and scale its drone delivery operations. This new authorization and permissions allow Amazon to expand its delivery area in College Station, Texas. It will scale its operations in College Station with its MK-27 drone to reach customers in more densely populated areas. Later this year, drone deliveries will begin integrating into Amazon’s delivery network, deployed from facilities next to its Same-Day Delivery sites.

Amazon is also adding drone deliveries to the Phoenix, Arizona, metro area, deploying drones from facilities next to its Same-Day Delivery site in Tolleson. Additionally, Amazon is expanding drone deliveries to Italy and the U.K.

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Wing and DoorDash

Wing has recently expanded service to Melbourne, Australia, with DoorDash after more than five years of commercial delivery experience in that country and updated regulatory approvals from the national government. The changes allow a single pilot to oversee up to 50 drones in the air concurrently, an increase of over three times. According to Wing, the approved delivery covering Melbourne is its largest in Australia to date, giving over 250,000 Melbourne-area residents access to drone delivery via the DoorDash app. Wing and DoorDash launched the drone delivery pilot program in Australia in 2022.

In March 2024, DoorDash and Wing launched their drone delivery partnership in the U.S., starting in Christiansburg, Virginia. Wendy’s was the first restaurant partner, with orders prepared and packaged at the Wendy’s location and delivered via a Wing drone, typically in 30 minutes or less. According to the companies, the pilot will explore other cities in the U.S. later in the year.

In January 2024, Wing added a new drone to its aircraft library, capable of carrying a standard cardboard delivery box with a payload of up to five pounds (twice the weight of its standard drone). It has the same round-trip range of 12 miles and can cruise approximately 65 miles per hour.