In the future, when ordering food delivery in the United States, the meals delivered to your doorstep may no longer be brought by delivery drivers but by unmanned drones descending from the sky. The American food delivery platform DoorDash launched its drone delivery service “DoorDash Air” on Wednesday (July 29), targeting medium-range deliveries (3 to 5 miles) to expedite delivery speeds and optimize delivery driver allocation.
DoorDash recently obtained the “Part 135 Air Carrier Certification” from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), allowing the company to operate commercial drone delivery services independently in the United States. This certification involves a rigorous five-stage evaluation covering airworthiness, maintenance, and safety procedures.
The delivery drones are designed and developed by DoorDash’s in-house autonomous technology team, DoorDash Labs, entirely designed and manufactured in the United States, with most components also being produced in the U.S.
Harrison Shih, head of DoorDash Air, stated, “We aim to enable any business, anywhere to use drone delivery services. To achieve this goal, we are building a complete delivery system, from ground infrastructure, drones, to various handoff systems, ensuring the seamless operation of the entire delivery process.”
DoorDash revealed that over 20% of orders last year had delivery distances ranging between 3 to 5 miles (approximately 4.8 to 8 kilometers), with the average delivery time for these medium-range orders being nearly 25% longer than short-distance orders. By assigning some medium-range orders to drone delivery, delivery drivers can focus on handling short-distance orders in densely populated commercial areas, increasing order acceptance rates and maximizing earnings.
While emphasizing that delivery drivers remain indispensable in the delivery system, DoorDash processes millions of orders daily, with the vast majority being completed by delivery drivers, particularly for deliveries that machines find challenging, like entering apartment buildings or handling large orders.
The latest data indicates that drones took an average of 25 minutes to complete deliveries in 2025. Meanwhile, businesses participating in DoorDash’s drone delivery tests experienced an approximate 30% increase in order volume after using the service, with sustained growth over the subsequent 9 weeks.
Currently, only eight operators in the United States have obtained the necessary certifications to operate commercial drone delivery services, including Wing and Amazon Prime Air under Alphabet, Zipline, UPS Flight Forward, Flytrex (operated through Causey Aviation), DroneUp, and DoorDash Air.
This article references reporting from the culinary magazine “The Takeout.”