The world’s largest drone-to-home delivery service has touched down in metro Atlanta.
Walmart and drone delivery partner Wing on Wednesday announced the launch of their on-demand service in six Atlanta suburbs, marking the first step in the partners’ planned three-state expansion. The companies are also eyeing operations in Orlando and Tampa, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as Houston in Texas, where their drones reach an estimated 1.8 million households in Dallas-Fort Worth.
As of Wednesday, the service, which Wing said will replace 20-minute drives with flights less than five minutes on average, is live in the Atlanta suburbs of Woodstock, Conyers, Dallas, Hiram, McDonough, and Loganville. Among items eligible for delivery are groceries—including refrigerated items like guacamole and raw meat and breakables such as eggs—household essentials, over-the-counter medications, and last-minute holiday gifts.
The company in June estimated that its average fulfillment time with Walmart in Dallas-Fort Worth is about 19 minutes. There, it said, the partners make thousands of deliveries every week, and three-quarters of customers are repeat users.
How It Works
Since launching an early pilot in Christiansburg, Virginia, in 2019, Wing has completed more than 500,000 drone deliveries globally. In the U.S., it operates with Part 135 authorization.
The drones are equipped with both vertical lift and cruise motors that power different propellers for different phases of flight. Wing’s current model can carry up to 5 pounds within a 6-mile radius and fly through light wind and rain. It cruises at about 60 mph and 150 feet in altitude, lowering packages on a tether to an area as small as a picnic blanket upon reaching its destination.
Most of the drones’ tasks—from flight planning and traffic management to preflight checkouts—are automated. So too is the order loading process. Store associates simply drop orders curbside for Wing’s Autoloader to attach to the drone. Remote pilots keep an eye on the drones once they lift off.
Atlanta-area residents can check if they are eligible for drone delivery on Wing’s website or app. Unlike in Dallas-Fort Worth, customers at least initially will order through Wing’s platform rather than Walmart’s or DoorDash’s. The latter integration is being piloted in Texas as well as Christiansburg and Charlotte.
Drone Delivery Continues to Grow
Wing and Walmart’s Atlanta debut is just the beginning of what the companies have planned.
FLYING previously reported on preparations being made at Walmart stores in Atlanta’s Conyers and Woodstock suburbs. Per the Charlotte Observer, Walmart has also submitted a commercial zoning review that would enable drone delivery out of one of its Charlotte locations.
The Houston suburb of Kemah said in October that Wing and Walmart planned to share a drone delivery proposal at an upcoming city council meeting. Houston’s KTRK-TV confirmed that the meeting took place, and city officials anticipate about 20 drones.
Wing’s hope is that pending regulations will help it continue to expand on its work in Dallas-Fort Worth, where competitors Zipline and Flytrex are also flying. The FAA’s proposed Part 108 rule would simplify the approval process for these operators to launch drone delivery in other locations.
However, Part 108 is not without controversy. Though commercial drone operators were largely supportive of the proposal, pilots raised concerns, bristling at the idea of granting drones the right-of-way over crewed aircraft in some situations. As written, the rule would also permit drone flight in controlled airspace, such as the Class B of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (KATL)—the busiest in the world.
