Walmart is elevating its drone delivery program by extending its reach to an additional 1.8 million households in Texas. Through strategic partnerships with drone startups Wing and Zipline, the retail giant now boasts coverage for 75 percent of the population in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.

Having initially launched its drone delivery initiative with Zipline and DroneUp in Arkansas in 2021, Walmart expanded the program to more states in 2022. The latest expansion in Texas allows customers residing within 10 miles of a participating Walmart to receive drone deliveries of smaller products such as cold medicine, birthday candles, and cartons of eggs. Walmart emphasizes the efficiency of its drone deliveries, with items arriving at customers’ doorsteps in 30 minutes or less, and some reaching as quickly as 10 minutes.

In a significant move, Walmart partnered with Wing, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, in 2023 to deliver to an additional 60,000 homes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area from two different stores. This recent expansion marks the largest to date, encompassing 30 more towns and municipalities within the Texas metroplex. The program now utilizes drones from both Wing and Zipline, both of which have received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate drones “without a dedicated observer being able to see the drone at all times.”

Zipline’s co-founder and CEO, Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, expressed excitement about enabling Walmart’s vision for ultra-fast, emission-free, and nearly silent customer deliveries. He stated, “We’re excited for folks across Dallas-Fort Worth to experience delivery that is 7x as fast, zero emissions, and whisper quiet.”

Walmart has already achieved over 20,000 successful drone deliveries, showcasing the effectiveness and reliability of its drone delivery program. Wing plans to commence deliveries to new locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area “in the coming months” and anticipates completing the expansion with Walmart within the year. To find out if your address is eligible for drone deliveries from Walmart, you can check the Wing and Zipline websites.

By Impact Lab