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 within the UK's National Health Service (NHS) in collaboration with Apian, aiming to provide faster, cheaper, and zero-emission delivery of critical medical products starting in fall 2024.
Wing, a Google subsidiary, received FAA approval for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations without visual observers in the U.S., allowing for more efficient, expanded, and cost-effective drone deliveries, starting with Dallas.
These strategic moves by Zipline and Wing underscore their continued dominance and advancements in the drone delivery sector, setting precedents for industry scaling and potentially increasing competitive pressure on smaller rivals.

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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.