Amazon has announced plans to expand its Prime Air drone delivery service sixfold, aiming to cover nearly 500 US cities and towns by the end of 2026. The move, alongside similar expansions from rivals Walmart, Zipline and DoorDash, could bring fast drone deliveries to tens of millions more Americans, but is also expected to intensify concerns in communities over noise, safety and privacy as more drones take to the skies daily.

On 19 August, Amazon said it would soon launch Prime Air in Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta, Syracuse and Boise, with further sites planned later in the year, adding to the 10 US cities it already serves across seven states. Each site covers roughly 175 square miles with delivery times of 30 to 60 minutes, though drones can carry only items up to five pounds and are grounded by strong winds, heavy rain, snow or extreme cold. Competitors are scaling up too: Walmart has passed 1 million drone deliveries via partners Wing and Zipline and aims to reach over 270 stores by 2027, Zipline has partnered with Uber targeting 1 million deliveries a day by 2029, and DoorDash has secured FAA certification for its own "DoorDash Air" programme. Amazon's safety record lags behind Zipline's, with several FAA and National Transportation Safety Board investigations following incidents including two drones crashing into a crane in Arizona in October 2025.