Months after ending its Prime Air drone delivery program in California, Amazon announced it has begun delivering to some customers by drone in Phoenix, Arizona.
Starting today, Amazon customers in the West Valley-Phoenix metropolitan area can now access drone-delivered products from Amazon's catalog, including home, beauty, office, health, and tech supplies. To be eligible, your product must weigh 5 pounds or less. According to Amazon, approximately 50,000 units will be available at the time of release.
Before checking out, customers can select the drone delivery location according to their address. Amazon says most items will be shipped directly from the Tolleson airfield and customers can pick up their items within up to an hour.
An Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch that drone deliveries will be available during daylight hours and under “favourable” weather conditions. “Currently, we do not perform drone deliveries at night, during strong winds, or during heavy rain,” it added. “Customers in designated delivery areas within a radius of our site can receive drone deliveries. We will notify customers when drone deliveries become available in their area.”
Amazon uses its latest drone, the MK30, for deliveries, which was recently approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly beyond the visual line of the drone operator. Amazon says the MK30 can fly twice as far as previous drones, is about 50% quieter to the human ear, and is built to fly in rainy weather.
Amazon has also begun deploying the MK30 for deliveries in College Station, Texas, and the company is testing prescription drug delivery by drone starting in 2023.
Amazon's drone delivery efforts have faced numerous setbacks, from noise complaints to regulatory hurdles and layoffs. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's extensive cost-cutting efforts are also hampering the service's progress.
Amazon said it is now integrating its drone systems into its same-day delivery network rather than building separate facilities to prepare for easier (and perhaps lower cost) deployment. Ta.
Amazon previously announced it would offer drone delivery services in the UK and Italy by the end of 2024, but the company did not provide an update on these plans today.