Amazon set to expand drone delivery of lightweight packages to 500 US cities

The familiar sight of delivery vans arriving at doorsteps may soon have some competition from above. Amazon is preparing to dramatically expand its drone delivery network, bringing lightweight packages to millions more customers across nearly 500 U.S. cities by the end of 2026. Through its Prime Air programme, Amazon aims to deliver eligible packages in as little as 30 minutes, with drones capable of carrying items weighing up to five pounds. The expansion is expected to extend the service beyond its current limited locations into suburban communities, including areas around Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland and Boise.

But this is not about replacing delivery trucks overnight. Instead, drones are emerging as another piece of Amazon’s increasingly complex delivery network particularly useful when speed matters and the package is small enough to fly.

The technology is already moving beyond the experimental stage. Amazon says Prime Air now has a design that can scale and plans to reach 30 million customers by the end of this year, with an ambition to deliver half a billion packages annually by the end of the decade.

Still, challenges remain. Limited payloads, suitable landing zones, regulations, safety requirements and noise concerns could determine how quickly drone delivery becomes an everyday reality. For now, one thing is clear: the future of last-mile delivery may not always arrive on four wheels—it could arrive on four rotors.

Source: Associated Press, Amazon plans to offer drone deliveries to millions more people this year, August 2026.