Amazon Plans Drone Deliveries in Nearly 500 US Cities by Year-End

Amazon customers in more regions may soon receive small packages by air within an hour as the company scales its Prime Air service to nearly 500 cities and towns by December. The shift comes as retailers race to meet demand for same-day and faster shipping while managing costs in a competitive logistics market.

The expansion would mark a sixfold increase from the current 11 metro areas, according to Amazon’s announcement. Each site covers roughly 175 square miles and handles packages up to five pounds. Vice president David Carbon projected one million deliveries for the year and stated the service has already completed hundreds of thousands, with thousands occurring daily. Most packages arrive in about 60 minutes, though some have taken only minutes.

Amazon received FAA approval for longer-range operations in 2024 and has since moved beyond early test sites near Dallas and Phoenix. New locations include the Chicago, Syracuse, Cleveland, Atlanta, and Boise metro areas. The company is also integrating drones with larger robotic sort centers to expand eligible items and testing a tethered delivery system that lowers packages gently rather than releasing them from 13 feet.

Progress has encountered repeated setbacks. Two drones struck a crane in Tolleson, Arizona, in October, prompting an ongoing National Transportation Safety Board investigation and a separate FAA review. Another drone severed an internet cable in Waco, Texas, in November. In the UK, authorities opened a probe after a drone crashed into a garden in Darlington last month. Residents in existing markets have raised concerns about noise, privacy, and property values.

Competitors have moved ahead on volume. Alphabet’s Wing reached one million commercial deliveries earlier this year across 20 US markets through partners including Walmart. Zipline has completed two million deliveries on four continents. Amazon’s program, first announced by Jeff Bezos in 2013, has faced regulatory delays, staff reductions, and technical issues along the way.