DoorDash launches in-house drone delivery program after FAA certification - CNBC

What the report says

CNBC reported that DoorDash launched DoorDash Air, an internal drone delivery initiative, after receiving certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to run commercial drone deliveries in the United States. The company announced the program Wednesday, positioning it as a step into autonomous fulfillment as it seeks to broaden its delivery network beyond traditional human couriers.

According to the report, DoorDash Air was developed by DoorDash Labs, the company’s robotics and autonomy division. CNBC said, citing TechCrunch, that the drone service is expected to be incorporated into the DoorDash app over time. DoorDash is also working on its own aircraft and related drone infrastructure, though the company did not give a schedule for when broad commercial service will begin.

The move puts DoorDash more directly into a competitive and still-developing drone delivery market that includes Amazon’s Prime Air, Alphabet-owned Wing and Zipline, all of which have been building commercial operations in recent years. CNBC also reported that DoorDash plans to keep collaborating with existing drone delivery partners Wing and Flytrex while it develops its in-house system.

The development matters because it signals DoorDash’s effort to build a more flexible logistics network using multiple delivery modes. The company already uses a mix that includes human couriers, its Dot sidewalk robots and autonomous delivery partners. Drones could become another option for some orders, but the report did not specify where DoorDash Air will first operate, what items it will carry, or when customers will widely see the service.