Drone delivery companies are inking new partnerships, clearing regulatory hurdles and reaching more customers this year as part of a push for long-term adoption of the emerging transportation method.
In the last-mile delivery space, drones offer a speedy, short-distance transit option for light payloads such as prescriptions, groceries or convenience items. While they aren't filling the skies just yet, industry players are strengthening their capabilities and scaling their networks quickly.
That momentum doesn't appear to be slowing down this year, with announcements from Zipline, DroneUp, Wing and Skyports Drone Services demonstrating drones' growing presence in supply chains. Here are five notable developments in the drone delivery and logistics world in 2024 so far.
1. Walmart expanding Texas drone delivery coverage
Walmart kicked off the year with an announcement to expand its drone delivery services to 1.8 million more homes in Texas' Dallas-Fort Worth area. Drones from Zipline and Wing will deliver orders for the new batch of eligible customers.
"Our drone delivery expansion includes stores across more than 30 towns and municipalities in the DFW metroplex, marking the first time a U.S. retailer has offered drone delivery to this many households in a single market," Walmart said in its announcement.
Prior to the expansion, Walmart had already been making drone deliveries in the area with DroneUp and Wing. The retail giant said recent Federal Aviation Administration exemptions granted for Wing and Zipline helped unlock further expansion in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
2. DroneUp lands key FAA exemption to scale deliveries
DroneUp is now also able to conduct delivery operations beyond the direct visual line of sight of the pilot after receiving an exemption from the FAA.
The drone delivery company said in a Jan. 18 news release that it could immediately commence those operations at the facilities of Virginia's Riverside Health System, with the path paved for a broader rollout at more locations in the future.
DroneUp joins a growing roster of companies that are able to conduct deliveries in the U.S. beyond the visual line of sight, including UPS Flight Forward and Zipline, enabling them to ramp up their delivery activity and improve economies of scale.
"This breakthrough enhances operational capabilities and presents a substantial cost reduction in the last-mile delivery process," DroneUp said. "By reducing the necessary human resources, DroneUp can now accelerate safe and large-scale deployment of autonomous last-mile drone deliveries."
3. Zipline partners with Pennsylvania health system
Zipline's drones will deliver prescriptions to homes and transport samples and products between facilities in a new partnership with Pennsylvania-based health system WellSpan Health. The partnership will use Zipline's "Platform 2" service, which leverages a drone-droid combo to precisely deliver a payload.
"Over the coming years, WellSpan Health will integrate Zipline’s service within select facilities and will share more details about how patients can sign up to use the service when it becomes operational," according to the Feb. 20 announcement.
The partnership marks an expansion of Zipline's presence in the U.S. healthcare delivery space, as the company has already secured delivery programs with hospital systems like Cleveland Clinic and Michigan Medicine.
4. Drones' middle-mile upside examined in New York, New Jersey
Drones' role in logistics isn't limited to last-mile delivery. Skyports Drone Services is partnering with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to explore the potential of middle-mile drone logistics at the ports, airports and transportation assets the authority oversees, according to a Feb. 21 news release.
PANYNJ ultimately wants to reallocate a portion of cross-Hudson River freight movements to greener modes of transportation like electric drones.
The multi-year collaboration will initially focus on how drones can support the authority's aim to reduce truck traffic of its bridges and tunnels. To start, the parties will launch a feasibility study to identify regulatory, technical, operational and commercial pathways for enabling drone services across the Port District.
“It may seem like something from the Jetsons, but if drone cargo proves viable it may be a low-carbon way to move the most valuable items between New York and New Jersey,” said Seth Wainer, innovation program director at PANYNJ, in the news release. “We are exploring routes and starting to look for customers who may be interested in investing in this space alongside us.”
5. Wing, DoorDash link up for Wendy's deliveries
DoorDash and Wing launched a drone delivery partnership last week in Christiansburg, Virginia, according to a news release. Customers with an eligible address can use DoorDash's app to have a qualifying order from the town’s Wendy's restaurant at 2355 N. Franklin St. be delivered via drone.
Wing has familiarity with Christiansburg already, partnering with FedEx and Walgreens for commercial drone deliveries in the area via a program launched in 2019. Wing and DoorDash plan to expand their collaboration into other U.S. cities later this year.
The two companies have already been working together in Australia, serving three Queensland locations with more than 60 participating merchants under a program launched in 2022.
“Expanding our partnership with DoorDash and launching in the U.S. is a direct result of the success we’ve seen from our initial collaboration in Australia, where Wing has served tens of thousands of customers via the DoorDash app for over a year now,” said Cosimo Leipold, Wing's global head of partnerships and product, in last week's announcement. “Wing has now made over 350,000 deliveries across three countries and looking ahead we are focused on providing a fast, affordable and safe service to our partners so they can better serve their customers."
