DoorDash in-House Delivery Drones Cleared for Takeoff

DoorDash says it has received permission to launch its in-house drone delivery program.

The launch follows the company’s receipt of its Part 135 air carrier certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DoorDash said in a Wednesday (July 29) news release, calling the news a “significant” milestone following a rigorous evaluation process.

“We want drone delivery to work for any merchant, anywhere. We’re building the full stack to make that possible from the ground infrastructure to the drone itself, and the handoff systems that make it work together seamlessly,” said Harrison Shih, head of DoorDash Air.

“Advances in hardware, compute, and AI are creating extraordinary new capabilities for local commerce, and becoming a certified air carrier accelerates everything we’re building.”

DoorDash says drone delivery means consumers can get the items they need when they most need them, whether that means essentials like cold medicine or time-sensitive items “like a coffee or hot meal to a nurse finishing a 12-hour shift.”

Last year, drones delivered in an average of 25 minutes, based on the company’s latest estimates, with some participating locations of its drone partner pilots seeing order volume grow by roughly 30%.

“Drone delivery also solves unique challenges for local commerce. For example, more than 20% of orders on the DoorDash platform in 2025 traveled three to five miles, but those orders took on average nearly 25% longer than shorter deliveries, largely because finding the right Dasher takes longer for mid-range trips,” the release added.

“Routing mid-range deliveries to drones lets Dashers focus on the orders they often favor: shorter deliveries that can be done quickly, staying near a high concentration of merchants for optimal routing, and maximizing their earning potential by getting them to their next order faster.”

In other drone delivery news, Walmart said earlier this month that its drones have now made more than 1 million deliveries, 40% of which happened in the company’s current quarter.

“The one millionth delivery comes as Walmart continues to rapidly expand drone capabilities across 66 stores in four states serving five metro markets,” Walmart said.

“Since launch we’ve seen customers evolve from trying it to experience the novelty of the service for items like bananas or snack food, to now turning to it frequently to get items delivered really fast, when they need them most.”