Amazon Prime Air Expands Drone Delivery Service to Nearly 500 U.S. Cities by 2026

Amazon announced a significant expansion of its drone delivery service, Prime Air, with plans to extend its operations to nearly 500 U.S. cities by the end of 2026. This expansion will increase the service’s reach by approximately six times its current footprint.

In the coming weeks, Prime Air will launch in 11 new locations: Tolleson, Arizona; Ruskin, Florida; Kansas City, Kansas; Papillion, Nebraska; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Hazel Park and Pontiac, Michigan; and Richmond, San Antonio, Richardson, and Waco, Texas.

The announcement includes a return to Tolleson, notable due to a drone incident there in October 2025 when two drones collided with a crane. Similar past incidents involving Amazon drones have raised safety concerns, including collisions with an internet cable and crashes into residential properties.

To address safety issues, Amazon emphasized its commitment to security measures within its drone operations. The company features an “industry-leading Detect-and-Avoid system” that continuously monitors the airspace around each drone. Drones are equipped with onboard cameras and sensors for navigation and obstacle avoidance, designed to operate in various weather conditions, such as light rain and a range of temperatures. Furthermore, Prime Air operates under Federal Aviation Administration Part 135 certification, which is also utilized by commercial airlines.

David Carbon, Vice President of Amazon Prime Air, stated, “Customers already turn to Amazon for fast Same- and Next-Day Delivery, and Prime Air provides them an even speedier option when they need it, with deliveries in as fast as 30 minutes,” noting that the service has “already delivered hundreds of thousands of packages to customers by drone this year.”

Currently, Prime Air is active across seven states: Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Texas, with additional launches planned in Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Idaho, and New York.

For Prime members, drone delivery is complimentary on eligible orders of $50 or more. For purchases under this threshold, the fee is $2.99 for Prime members, while non-Prime customers face a $4.99 delivery charge. Amazon’s drones can handle almost all items weighing five pounds or less.

This expansion comes as other major companies, including Walmart and Alphabet’s Wing, continue to grow their own drone delivery networks in the U.S., which they have described as the largest in the country. In June, these companies introduced service to seven new markets including Phoenix, Philadelphia, and the Bay Area.