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A few months after ending its drone-based delivery program, Prime Air, in California, Amazon says that it’s begun making deliveries to select customers via drone in Phoenix, Arizona.
Amazon’s Drone Delivery in Phoenix, Arizona
Starting today, Amazon customers in the West Valley Phoenix Metro Area have access to a drone-deliverable selection from Amazon’s catalog, including household, beauty, office, health, and tech supplies. Products must weigh five pounds or less to be eligible; Amazon says about 50,000 are available at launch.
Customers can choose the drone delivery location for their address before they check out. Most can expect to receive items in an hour max, according to Amazon, delivered direct from the take-off site in Tolleson.
Amazon’s Latest Drone for Deliveries
An Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch that drone delivery will be available during the daylight hours and “favorable” weather conditions. Amazon is using its latest drone for deliveries, the MK30, which was recently approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly beyond the visual line of sight of drone operators. Amazon claims the MK30 can fly twice as far as its previous drone, is about 50% quieter to the human ear, and is built to fly in rainy weather.
Deployment Strategy and Future Plans
Amazon has also started to deploy the MK30 to make deliveries in College Station, Texas, where the company has been testing drone-based prescription medicine deliveries since 2023. To set the stage for easier deployments, Amazon is integrating its drone systems into its same-day delivery network instead of building standalone facilities.
Amazon previously announced plans to bring its drone delivery offerings to the U.K. and Italy by the end of 2024, but no update on those plans was provided.
