Dive Brief:
- Amazon has launched Prime Air drone delivery for customers in Tolleson, Arizona, the company announced Tuesday.
- Online shoppers who live near Amazon's same-day facility in the city, which is located west of Phoenix, can now have deliveries completed in under an hour using the company’s MK30 drones. Amazon described the facility as "part fulfillment center, part delivery station" and designed for rapid delivery.
- More than 50,000 items are available for drone delivery in Tolleson, including household products, beauty items and office supplies. Products have to weigh five pounds or less to be eligible, and there is a fee for the service, according to Amazon.
Dive Insight:
The launch in Tolleson advances Amazon's efforts to integrate drones into its sprawling fulfillment network, rather than using standalone Prime Air sites for deployment. The e-commerce giant’s same-day delivery sites are located around large metropolitan areas and near its larger fulfillment centers, giving such facilities access to plenty of customers and inventory.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s decision allowing Amazon to fly its MK30 drones beyond an operator's visual line of sight was key to the company’s drone delivery debut in the Arizona city.
"This is an historic, first-of-its-kind approval for a new drone system and a new operating location following a rigorous FAA evaluation of the safety of our systems and processes," Amazon said in the announcement.
Airspace regulations remain a key hurdle in companies' efforts to expand drone delivery services, in addition to high costs and consumer uncertainty.
Current drone models also have limitations in what they can deliver, and when. For Amazon's drones, each delivery is limited to one item, and the service isn't available at night or during unfavorable weather like rainstorms, according to the company's website. The drones also won't deliver products if a prior package is still located in the delivery area.
Despite the restrictions, Amazon said it has delivered thousands of items in less than an hour via drones since launching the capability in 2022. Beyond Tolleson, the company is also making deliveries in College Station, Texas, with the technology.
