Amazon Expands Prime Air to Nearly 500 U.S. Cities by 2026 as 30-Minute Delivery Nears
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 2
Amazon Expands Prime Air to Nearly 500 U.S. Cities by 2026 as 30-Minute Delivery Nears
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 2
Summary
Nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns are in Amazon’s Prime Air expansion plan by end-2026, a sharp step up from 11 launch sites across 10 metro areas today.
30-minute delivery is the pitch, though Amazon says most drone orders now arrive in about 60 minutes; each site can cover roughly 175 square miles, so the target refers to communities served, not 500 hubs.
5-pound packages qualify for the service, covering more than 60% of frequently bought items, while pricing runs from free for Prime orders above $50 to $4.99 for non-Prime customers.
FAA Part 135 certification allows the operation, but ZIP-code eligibility, yard safety, weather, noise and privacy concerns could still limit how smoothly the rollout reaches neighborhoods.
30 million customers could be within Prime Air communities by year-end, Amazon says, as it races Walmart-Wing’s planned 270-store drone network and DoorDash’s newly certified drone push.