Drone Delivery Firms Zipline, Wing Prepare to Ramp Up Service

Zipline plans to expand to the U.K., while Wing was approved for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights without visual observers.

Jack Daleo

Monday, December 18, 2023 at 04:36 PM ET

Verified

Edited By: Luke Venable

A Zipline drone drops a medical payload using a parachute. [Courtesy: Zipline]

Key Takeaways:

Zipline is significantly expanding its medical drone delivery service across the U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS) in partnership with Apian, aiming to provide faster, cheaper, and zero-emission delivery of prescriptions and medical products starting in Fall 2024.
Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet, received FAA approval for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations without visual observers in the U.S., starting with Dallas, which will reduce operational costs and enable broader scaling of its delivery services.
These strategic advancements by Zipline and Wing, the world's leading drone delivery providers, are set to extend their dominance by increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and expanding reach in both medical and general logistics.

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Drone delivery firms Zipline and Wing—the two largest providers in the world by sheer volume—are looking to extend their dominance.

Zipline on Monday announced plans to significantly expand a medical drone delivery initiative within the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) in collaboration with Apian—which, interestingly, partnered with Wing in August. The program will roll out in fall 2024.