Amazon Plans to Expand Prime Air Drone Delivery to Kansas City

Potential expansion would mark the service’s first operation in a major U.S. city.

Thursday, May 01, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

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Prime Air’s MK30 drone is already serving customers in College Station, Texas, and Tolleson, Arizona. [Courtesy: Amazon]

Key Takeaways:

Amazon's Prime Air is planning its first drone delivery service in a major U.S. city, Kansas City, Missouri, following a recent two-month operational hiatus for a software upgrade.
Kansas City has already approved permits for a warehouse expansion to include four drone takeoff and landing pads, with city staff not anticipating significant disruptions.
Despite this planned expansion, Prime Air has experienced a challenging rollout, marked by low demand, layoffs, key departures, crashes, and noise complaints from residents in its current smaller operational sites.

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Less than one month after resuming drone delivery following a voluntary two-month operational hiatus, Amazon’s Prime Air is eyeing its first service in a major U.S. city.

Amazon spokesperson Andy DiOrio told the Kansas City Star that Prime Air is considering moving into the Missouri metroplex. Kansas City would represent the company’s third and largest operation. Its population of half a million people dwarfs the number of customers it could reach with its other services in College Station, Texas, and Tolleson, Arizona.

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.