Amazon Revives Drone Delivery in California

Amazon is reviving its drone delivery service in California, starting with Tracy. The e-commerce giant aims to bring Prime Air to 500 cities and towns by the end of the year, up from 11 communities currently participating. This marks a return for the company, which ended drone delivery in the state about a year after launching it in Lockeford in 2022.

The service will allow customers to receive packages in as little as 30 minutes. Prime Air regional operations manager for the West, Erik Robertson, emphasized safety: 'Every flight that we take starts with safety.' The drones are authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration and travel at altitudes between 250 and 400 feet.

Each drone can carry a shoebox-sized package weighing up to 5 pounds and travel up to 7.5 miles from the local distribution center in Tracy. Millions of items are eligible for drone delivery, including medications, phone chargers, and cleaning products. Some drone deliveries have been completed in under 15 minutes.

Drone shipping is free for Amazon Prime members on orders over $50 and costs $2.99 for orders under $50 for members. For non-members, it's $4.99. The company wouldn't share how many autonomous drones are coming to Tracy, saying the number will increase depending on demand.