Amazon plans drone delivery expansion to 5 more U.S. metro areas

Amazon. com Inc. is expanding its Prime Air drone delivery to five more U. S. metro areas, the online retail giant announced Aug. 19. The fast-delivery service is slated to launch “soon” in the Chicago, Syracuse, Cleveland, Atlanta and Boise markets, with more communities to follow later this year, Amazon said in a blog post.

The expansion is part of Amazon’s plan to reach nearly 500 U. S. cities and towns by the end of 2026 — a footprint six times larger than today, the company said. Prime Air currently operates in 10 metro areas across: Arizona Florida Kansas Louisiana Michigan Nebraska Texas Amazon ranks No. 1 in Digital Commerce 360’s Top 1000 Database.

The market research tool tracks North America’s largest online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales. However, Amazon is No. 158 in Digital Commerce 360’s all-new AI Rankings. That set of rankings is available in the Top 1000 Pro with AI Database. Amazon is also No. 3 in Digital Commerce 360’s Global Online Marketplaces Database.

That database ranks the 100 largest such marketplaces by third-party gross merchandise value (GMV). Where Amazon offers Prime Air Presently, Amazon said Prime Air serves the following U. S.

metro areas: Baton Rouge Dallas Detroit Houston Kansas City Omaha Phoenix San Antonio Tampa Waco The list marks a sharp increase from spring 2025, when Tolleson, Arizona, and College Station, Texas, were its only active U. S. test markets. Prime Air also recently launched in Darlington, England, its first market outside the U. S.

So far this year, the service has delivered “hundreds of thousands of packages,” David Carbon, vice president of Amazon Prime Air, said in the company’s latest blog post on the subject. The company claims its sites make thousands of deliveries daily and have the highest average delivery volumes in the U. S. How Amazon Prime Air works Its U. S.

drones launch from sites serving an area of about 175 square miles. While Prime Air orders can arrive in as little as 30 minutes, most take about 60 minutes from checkout to delivery, the company said. Across most Prime Air locations, Amazon said customers can choose from “millions” of products.

These range from groceries and cosmetics to medications and electronics. To qualify, items must weigh 5 pounds or less and fit inside a large shoebox. Amazon said this covers “more than 60% of the items customers are most frequently purchasing.” On drone orders of at least $50, Prime members pay no fee. Smaller Prime orders incur a $2.

99 fee, while non‑Prime orders carry a $4. 99 fee. For shoppers in covered areas, a drone delivery option appears automatically while browsing eligible products and at checkout. Amazon said orders use its standard app, checkout process and returns system.

When placing their first order, customers must choose an outdoor delivery point, such as a driveway or yard. They can keep that location for future deliveries or select a different drop-off point at any time. When the drone arrives, it checks for people, pets, vehicles and other obstacles before releasing the package, Amazon said.

To handle more delicate cargo, the company is currently testing a tethered “gentle delivery” system, Carbon told employees in March, according to CNBC. Prime Air adds to Amazon’s other fast‑delivery options, including 30‑minute delivery through Amazon Now and one‑hour, three‑hour and same‑day delivery in eligible markets.

“Customers continue to demand faster delivery times,” Carbon said in March. “Bottom line is we have yet to reach diminishing returns when it comes to how fast we deliver to our customers.” Setbacks Amazon Prime Air has faced When Amazon founder Jeff Bezos first unveiled drone delivery in 2013, he predicted it could arrive within four or five years.

Commercial U. S. deliveries, however, didn’t begin until late 2022, when Prime Air launched in Lockeford, California, and College Station, Texas. In May 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorized Prime Air to fly beyond a remote operator’s visual line of sight, clearing a major regulatory hurdle.

Later that year, Amazon began deploying its newer MK30 drone, which can fly in light rain and operate within about 7. 5 miles. The company said the drone is lighter, quieter and flies twice as far as its predecessor. In January 2025, Amazon paused U. S.

deliveries for two months after flight data indicated that dust could interfere with the MK30’s altitude sensor. To fix the issue, the company deployed a software update and resumed deliveries after receiving FAA approval.

In October 2025, the program faced scrutiny when two MK30 drones collided with a crane near Amazon’s launch site in Tolleson, prompting the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board to open investigations. At the time, Amazon said it completed an internal review and found no issue with the drones or supporting technology. The company said it added impr