Amazon is expanding its airborne delivery service, with a goal of using drones to deliver small packages in suburban communities across nearly 500 U.S. cities by the end of this year.
The planned expansion of Prime Air would represent a roughly sixfold increase from its current footprint, the company said on Aug. 19.
Customers can receive drone deliveries in as little as 30 minutes, although Amazon said most orders arrive about an hour after checkout. Its drones can carry packages weighing up to 5 pounds.
Prime Air is currently available at 11 sites across seven states: Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Texas. At each location, drones launch from an Amazon facility and serve an area of about 175 square miles.
Amazon is now targeting additional service in and around Chicago; Cleveland; Syracuse, New York; Atlanta; and Boise, Idaho, with more communities expected to follow.
The drones will primarily operate in suburban areas, away from skyscrapers and major airports that could complicate operations.
Amazon describes the aircraft as “highly autonomous,” with onboard cameras and sensors for navigation, obstacle detection, and safe delivery. The cameras do not transmit a live video feed, according to the company.
The company also sought to address the potential concern about noise.
“During drop-off, the sound level is below that of an idling delivery truck parked curbside and lasts about 30 seconds,” Amazon said.
Someone standing outside may hear a sound “comparable to a window fan on low” as the drone arrives, while people indoors may not hear it at all, the company added.
Prime Air delivery is free for Prime members on orders of at least $50. Orders below that threshold carry a $2.99 delivery fee, while customers without a Prime membership are charged $4.99.
Amazon launched Prime Air drone deliveries in 2022, almost a decade after then-CEO Jeff Bezos first unveiled the concept in 2013, envisioning a network of drones capable of delivering small packages in 30 minutes or less.
Since then, the program has faced technical challenges as well as regulatory hurdles.
A major breakthrough came in 2024, when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Amazon a waiver allowing its drones to fly beyond the visual line of sight of their operators.
The program also faces safety scrutiny following recent incidents.
In October 2025, two Amazon drones collided with a crane in Tolleson, Arizona, prompting separate investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA.
Another FAA investigation was opened last November after an Amazon drone struck and severed an internet cable while ascending from a customer’s yard in Waco, Texas.
All three investigations are ongoing.
