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Could 2024 be the year that drone delivery finally takes off?
Alphabet-owned Wing is betting on a bigger future for the technology with a new aircraft that can handle delivery boxes of up to five pounds, doubling the capacity limit of the company’s currently operating drones. Wing claims the fleet addition will give it more versatility in accommodating a range of order types for companies like Walmart, DoorDash, and healthcare logistics startup Apian.
Cleared for takeoff: The rollout comes as a number of factors seem to be aligning in favor of a potential tipping point for the long-discussed means of fulfilling retail orders in the coming year.
Among the biggest, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) removed a key regulatory hurdle last year when it granted a handful of drone operators—including Wing—permission to fly beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS), meaning they no longer need human spotters.
“This marks a paradigm shift in the way US regulators are approaching approvals for these types of advanced BVLOS drone operations,” Wing CEO Adam Woodworth wrote in a blog post. “We believe 2024 will be the year of drone delivery.”
Meanwhile, Walmart recently expanded its partnership with Wing and Zipline, another drone delivery service, to cover up to 75% of households in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area. Other companies, like Amazon, also expect to expand drone delivery service this year.
Fleet flexibility: Woodworth claimed a variety of air-ferrying options will be necessary to most efficiently connect clients and their customers. The company’s newest aircraft draws on an existing “library” of designs.
Like other models of Wing drones, the new craft will be able to traverse round trips of 12 miles and cruise at around 65 miles per hour. The company said that while its current drones, which can lift 2.5-pound payloads, are able to field 70% of all US orders, the remaining 30% of trips require two drones.
That’s where the bigger craft will help, Woodworth said. “Think of it like how airlines operate different aircrafts for different routes: This new aircraft will streamline our deliveries of larger orders,” Woodworth wrote in a blog post. “For example, you could order last-minute ingredients for dinner—pasta, marinara sauce, Parmesan cheese, canned olives, and garlic.”
Medical companies and retailers have been developing drone delivery systems for years, but the technology has faced a long regulatory road, safety concerns, and logistics challenges. But the distribution method’s promise of cheaper, faster, and more sustainable last-mile delivery has kept companies investing.
Wing said it intends to work with partners and regulators to launch the bigger drone within the next year.