Amazon will expand its Prime Air drone delivery service to nearly 500 U.S. communities by the end of 2026, up from 11 locations today, according to FreightWaves. The scale-up accelerates the last-mile delivery race as Amazon, Home Depot and Walmart compete on 30-minute and same-day fulfillment options.
Prime Air scale-up
In April, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) CEO Andy Jassy said Prime Air would be able to deliver a wide range of products by drone to 30 million people in various U.S. communities by the end of the year, FreightWaves reported. On Wednesday, the company said autonomous drone delivery in as little as 30 minutes would be available in nearly 500 communities by the end of 2026.
Current and planned service areas
Prime Air currently operates in 11 locations, according to FreightWaves, including:
- Tolleson, Arizona (Phoenix metro)
- Ruskin, Florida (Tampa metro)
- Kansas City, Kansas
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Detroit metro
- Papillon, Nebraska (Omaha metro)
- Houston metro
- Dallas metro
- San Antonio, Texas
- Waco, Texas
Prime Air plans to launch soon in the Chicago; Syracuse, New York; Cleveland; Atlanta; and Boise, Idaho metro areas, with more communities to come later this year, the company said. Amazon previously said it would begin serving customers in the southside of Chicago from two fulfillment centers by early summer.
Drone technology and delivery economics
The MK30 drone has a payload of five pounds. More than 60% of the most frequently purchased items are eligible for drone delivery, and most orders arrive about 60 minutes after checkout, Amazon said. The drones cruise at about 73 mph and 200 to 300 feet high, with six vertical propellers and staggered tandem wings. They can fly in light precipitation and winds faster than 20 mph. Parcels are stored in a shoebox-sized fuselage and dropped from about 13 feet up; cameras check for people, pets and vehicles before descent. Customers see drone delivery as an option in checkout if available in their area, with a satellite map showing pre-identified delivery zones using Amazon's digital mapping and AI systems.
Drone delivery pricing is structured by membership and order value:
| Customer type | Order value | Delivery fee |
|---|---|---|
| Prime members | $50 or more | Free |
| Prime members | Less than $50 | $2.99 |
| Non-Prime customers | Any | $4.99 |
Amazon Now, the company's 30-minutes-or-less delivery service for everyday essentials, expanded to 80 cities and towns across the United States and several major cities in Egypt, FreightWaves reported. Amazon Now is available in nine countries and over 250 cities and towns, including Atlanta, Houston and Denver. Prime members pay a discounted delivery fee of $3.99 per order; non-Prime customers pay $13.99. Management says faster delivery speeds combined with a broad selection of products on the marketplace are driving consumers to make more purchases on the Amazon site.
Competitive pressure on last-mile delivery
Experts say ultra-fast delivery is becoming a standard necessity for retailers, FreightWaves reported. On Tuesday, Home Depot announced the nationwide rollout of express delivery for online orders fulfilled from local stores — the latest example of retailers trying to offer faster delivery options on the premise that it can convert browsers into buyers. Walmart is also rapidly growing same-day and three-hour delivery service. Amazon and Home Depot, notably, are charging extra for ultra-fast delivery.
Customers already turn to Amazon for fast Same- and Next-Day Delivery, and Prime Air provides them an even speedier option when they need it. — David Carbon, vice president of Amazon Prime Air
Globally, Amazon delivered more than 40% of items same day or overnight in the first half of the year versus the same period last year. FreightWaves noted that Amazon is the largest U.S. retailer and a trend setter, especially for technology adoption, and that using drones will keep vehicles off the road, reducing traffic and emissions.
Watch list
- Prime Air launches in Chicago; Syracuse, New York; Cleveland; Atlanta; and Boise, Idaho.
- Additional U.S. communities to be announced later this year.
- Amazon Now expansion in Egypt and additional U.S. cities.
- Home Depot's nationwide express delivery rollout and Walmart's same-day and three-hour delivery growth.
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