DoorDash is going airborne.
The company announced on Wednesday that it has launched DoorDash Air, an in-house drone delivery system. The news comes after DoorDash received Federal Aviation Administration certification to operate commercial drones in the U.S.
DoorDash said it is building its own aircraft and drone infrastructure at DoorDash Labs as part of the launch with the goal of enabling more seamless and scalable delivery.
“We want drone delivery to work for any merchant, anywhere. We’re building the full stack to make that possible from the ground infrastructure to the drone itself, and the handoff systems that make it work together seamlessly,” Harrison Shih, Head of DoorDash Air, said in the company’s announcement. “Advances in hardware, compute, and AI are creating extraordinary new capabilities for local commerce, and becoming a certified air carrier accelerates everything we’re building.”
DoorDash did not provide a timeline for when its drones would begin commercial operations as part of DoorDash Air.
The company said it was a “rigorous process” to obtain FAA Part 135 certification, including a five-stage evaluation verifying aircraft worthiness, maintenance programs and safety procedures. The certification allows the company to operate as an air carrier and provide drone deliveries.
DoorDash has already completed tens of thousands of drone deliveries to date through partnerships with Wing and Flytrex in a handful of U.S. cities, including Dallas-Fort Worth. It said it will continue its existing partnerships with Wing and Flytrex even as it builds its own drone infrastructure.
DoorDash cited internal data when touting the success of its past drone deliveries. It said orders that traveled between three and five miles took 25% longer than shorter deliveries, largely because it takes longer to find drivers for those longer trips. By routing mid-range deliveries to drones, DoorDash says drivers can maximize their earning potential by focusing on shorter deliveries in a more concentrated area.
“Drone delivery offers a way for us to serve more customers and solve the hardest problems on the ground for local businesses,” the company said.
