Amazon to expand drone delivery reach sixfold this year

Amazon plans to expand its drone delivery service, Prime Air, to nearly 500 US communities by the end of 2026, up from 11 current locations. According to FreightWaves, this will increase the number of people that can receive drone deliveries to 30 million. The service, which can deliver packages in as little as 30 minutes, will be available in the Chicago, Atlanta, and Cleveland metro areas, among others.

The drones can carry packages up to 5 pounds, which accounts for over 60% of items frequently purchased from Amazon, as reported by PYMNTS. The company has already delivered hundreds of thousands of packages by drone this year. Prime Air currently operates in several states, including Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Texas, with plans to launch in Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Idaho, and New York.

Fast Company notes that the expansion will intensify the battle between Amazon and Walmart to provide consumers with the fastest delivery times. Amazon's drone delivery operation will expand more than sixfold nationwide into hundreds of new communities, primarily in suburban areas away from skyscrapers and major airports.

Brief written by urgent.news from Supply Chain Dive, FreightWaves, Fast Company, PYMNTS — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.