TECHNOMALIST
Amazon has announced a major expansion of its Prime Air drone delivery service, aiming to reach nearly 500 cities and towns across the United States by the end of 2026. The move would multiply its current service coverage by approximately six times, bringing packages to doorsteps in under half an hour for tens of millions of residents.
The company will first introduce the service in the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Illinois; Syracuse, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Atlanta, Georgia; and Boise, Idaho, with additional communities to follow later this year.
This expansion marks a significant milestone for a program that has faced years of delays and operational hurdles. Amazon first floated the concept in late 2013, projecting autonomous deliveries within five years. However, regulatory approvals and technical challenges pushed launch dates back repeatedly.
Drone operations commenced in late 2022 in limited locations like Lockeford, California, and College Station, Texas, but progress was slow. By mid-2023, fewer than a hundred deliveries had been completed. The Lockeford site was later closed in 2024, with Amazon shifting focus to a new facility in Tolleson, Arizona.
The service uses drones capable of delivering packages within a 7.5-mile radius of fulfillment sites, handling most items weighing up to five pounds and fitting within a large shoebox.
Safety has been a recurring issue. Amazon paused operations in early 2025 after test crashes linked to altitude sensor problems. Later, drones struck a construction crane in Arizona, causing damage and a fire, and another severed an internet cable in Texas, prompting regulatory scrutiny. The service is also under investigation in the UK following a crash in a private garden.
Despite these setbacks, Amazon's Prime Air chief David Carbon stated in March that the company expects to complete one million deliveries this year. The firm is also piloting a new delivery mechanism to handle fragile goods like eggs and perishables, potentially broadening the range of items available for aerial delivery.
With this expansion, Amazon is moving closer to realizing its long-deferred vision of package-laden drones buzzing through American skies, though it must first navigate lingering safety and regulatory concerns.
See an error? Read our corrections policy or email [email protected].
