Amazon to Start Drone Deliveries in Arizona, Ends California Service

Amazon is set to launch drone deliveries in Phoenix, Arizona, later this year, but it will also be ending its drone service in California. The expansion of its drone delivery program will allow customers in the West Valley of the Phoenix metro area to receive same-day drone deliveries from a delivery site in Tolleson, Arizona.

In a press release, Amazon announced the closure of its drone delivery site near Sacramento, California, with all employees being offered opportunities at other sites. Prime Air, Amazon’s drone delivery program, aims to deliver packages weighing five pounds or less to customers in about 30 minutes.

The Arizona site will become the second location for Amazon’s drone delivery service, which began testing in College Station, Texas, and Lockeford, California, in 2022. While the California option is closing, Amazon plans to continue drone delivery in Texas and intends to open further U.S. locations in 2025.

One surprising fact is that the most popular item ordered through drone delivery is AA batteries, according to Amazon. Beauty and drugstore products are also among the thousands of products available for drone delivery.

Prime Air was first outlined by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2013 as a service to deliver products from an Amazon warehouse to someone’s home in less than 30 minutes. However, it took nearly 10 years for the service to be ready for launch, and just after its launch, the Prime Air division faced layoffs. Despite predicting 10,000 deliveries by the end of the year, Amazon made just 100 drone deliveries in 2022 across its two markets.

Amazon revealed its newest Prime Air drone, the MK30, in October, which is still in flight testing as of April. The MK30 drone is quieter, can fly further than the current drone being used, and can operate in more diverse weather conditions, including light rain. The MK30 drones are scheduled to replace Prime Air’s current drones by the end of 2024.

The exact start date for drone delivery in Arizona is not known, as Amazon simply stated “later this year” when announcing the program’s expansion to the Phoenix area. Amazon is working with the Federal Aviation Administration and local officials and will begin reaching out to customers when it has received all the needed approvals.