DoorDash partners with Wing to launch drone deliveries in Dallas-Fort Worth mall

By The Robot Report Staff | December 18, 2024

Wing Aviation LLC announced today that it is partnering with DoorDash and Brookfield Properties to bring drone delivery to local malls in the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex. Launching at Brookfield Properties’ Stonebriar Centre in Frisco and Hulen Mall in Fort Worth, the service is the first of its kind for American shopping malls, claimed the companies.

Beginning today, when customers with an eligible address in Dallas-Fort Worth place a qualifying order in the DoorDash app, they will see the option to have their items delivered by drone on the checkout page. Once they select drone delivery and place their order, it will be prepared, packaged, and then delivered via a Wing drone.

Wing said that more than 50 merchants will offer drone deliveries through the DoorDash app. The company added that its highly automated drones can deliver items and meals to doorsteps in as little as 15 minutes. They can navigate to the delivery location at a speed of 65 mph and a cruising height of about 150 feet before safely lowering the delivery to the ground.

Wing expands BVLOS flights in the U.S.

The Alphabet subsidiary maintains a fleet of lightweight drones that can transport small packages directly from businesses to homes in minutes. Wing has been operating in the U.S. for the past five years, and it has completed more than 400,000 commercial deliveries worldwide. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company asserted that its systems are safe, sustainable, and easy to integrate into existing delivery and logistics networks.

In October, Wing partnered with Serve Robotics Inc., a company that provides deliveries via mobile robots. Under the collaboration, a Serve robot will pick up orders and deliver them to a Wing drone AutoLoader a few blocks away for aerial delivery to customers as far as six miles away.

The Federal Aviation Administration recently allowed Wing and Zipline to make beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights over Dallas. The company first earned its Air Carrier Certification from the FAA in 2019. With that certification, Wing has begun a commercial drone service delivering goods from local businesses to homes in the U.S.

This latest expansion allows the company to continue BVLOS operations without visual observers, something Wing has already been doing in Australia and Ireland. 

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DoorDash shares goal of convenience, speed

Wing said its partnership with DoorDash is driven by the shared goal of providing customers with the convenience and speed of air deliveries for the local products and brands they know and love. This expansion follows pilot programs in Melbourne, Australia, and Christiansburg, Va.

The companies are working with Brookfield Properties. The real estate management firm said it will investigate ways to incorporate Wing drone delivery into its shopping centers. It said it hopes to enable businesses to take advantage of previously underutilized spaces — such as rooftops or excess parking — in order to reach more customers at home via drone delivery.

“We are proud to be the first landlord to provide drone delivery as another avenue to help our tenants serve our communities,” said Katie Kurtz, senior vice president of business development at Brookfield Properties. “We’re committed to meeting the changing needs of the ways people shop. Brookfield Properties has a strong track record of evolving our assets and leading ahead of the curve in retail.”