Sky's the Limit for Walmart's Drone Deliveries --- Retailer plans to offer aerial delivery at 270 stores nationwide by the end of 2027

“The country's largest retailer plans to launch a lot more drones this year, making deliveries by sky available to tens of millions of U.S. shoppers.

 

Walmart says it plans to roll out delivery-by-drone at an additional 150 stores over the next year in partnership with drone operator Wing, a unit of Alphabet.

 

Its goal is to set up the service at more than 270 of its locations nationwide by the end of 2027.

 

The effort represents an ambitious expansion of the retailer's previously announced plans for drone delivery, which is currently mostly limited to the Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta regions.

 

Wing estimates that more than 40 million Walmart shoppers would have access to the service after the expansion, up from roughly 2 million today.

 

"We want to help customers get what they want, when they want and where they want it," said Greg Cathey, senior vice president of digital fulfillment transformation at Walmart. "Drone delivery is especially helpful when customers need just one to a handful of items fast."

 

Companies from Walmart and Amazon to delivery app DoorDash have started aerial deliveries in parts of the U.S. over the past several years. The companies see the delivery method as a quick, convenient way for shoppers to get online orders delivered to their homes.

 

But the rollout of the technology has mostly been sporadic and limited to specific regions. Drone operators have faced regulatory obstacles, community concerns about noise, safety and privacy, and limitations to flying in inclement weather.

 

Companies may have a clearer path ahead after federal regulators in August proposed a rule paving the way for more drones to operate beyond so-called visual line of sight.

 

A requirement that drones remain within sight of a human minder had been a major hurdle to expanding the delivery method. Operators needed either individual waivers, or employees manning each device, forfeiting any cost savings on labor compared with using delivery drivers.

 

Robin Riedel, a longtime expert on the drone-delivery industry, said he anticipates the regulatory changes will make it easier for companies to grow and scale the delivery service.

 

"All the fundamental hurdles we would have talked about three years ago, we've overcome," said Riedel, who is now executive vice president for aviation and future mobility at Metropolis Technologies, an artificial-intelligence infrastructure startup. "We just now need to actually scale and get it out there."

 

Walmart, which has more than 4,600 U.S. stores, started offering drone delivery in the Dallas-Fort Worth region of Texas in 2022. It has since expanded to Atlanta, Northwest Arkansas and Charlotte, N.C.

 

Walmart plans to add the service over the coming year in cities including Los Angeles; Houston; Cincinnati; St. Louis; and Orlando, Tampa and Miami in Florida.

 

In addition to Wing, the retailer also works with drone operator Zipline to offer drone delivery in Texas and Arkansas.

 

Wing's drones are designed to carry goods up to 5 pounds and can travel 6 miles each way.

 

Online orders are loaded into small takeout-style boxes that are hooked onto a tether attached to a drone. The drone flies the package to its destination and then lowers the cord with the box attached to drop off the order into a customer's yard. Orders arrive in 30 minutes or less.

 

Wing said customers typically order delivery by drone for last-minute purchases such as ingredients for a meal or over-the-counter medicine. About one-quarter of its customers now use drone delivery three times a week.

 

Walmart and Wing declined to disclose the cost per delivery. Walmart offers drone delivery free to its Walmart+ members and charges $19.99 for each delivery for other customers, according to its website. Shoppers can also get free delivery by ordering through the Wing app.” [1]

 

1. Business News: Sky's the Limit for Walmart's Drone Deliveries --- Retailer plans to offer aerial delivery at 270 stores nationwide by the end of 2027. Young, Liz.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 12 Jan 2026: B3.