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Prime Air to 500 cities
Amazon announced that Prime Air will expand to nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns by the end of 2026, a sixfold increase from the service’s current footprint.
“Prime Air will expand to nearly 500 cities and towns across the United States by the end of 2026”
MashablePrime Air currently operates from 11 sites spanning 10 metropolitan areas in Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Texas, and the company plans to launch next in the Chicago, Syracuse, Cleveland, Atlanta, and Boise metro areas.
9to5MacAmazon says Prime Air can carry most packages weighing 5 pounds or less and fitting inside a large shoebox, with deliveries arriving in as little as 30 minutes and most reaching customers about an hour after checkout.
Prime members receive free drone delivery on orders of at least $50 and pay $2.99 for smaller orders, while non-Prime customers pay $4.99.
Amazon says it has completed hundreds of thousands of deliveries this year and is making thousands more each day, as it pairs ultrafast drone delivery with the low prices and selection customers love about Amazon.
How it flies, and who’s next
Amazon says it holds the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 135 air carrier certification, and in 2024 the FAA gave Amazon additional permission to conduct longer-range flights using its onboard detect-and-avoid technology.
The company says its drones independently monitor their surroundings using cameras and sensors, and when a drone reaches its destination it checks that the delivery area is clear of people, pets, and vehicles before releasing the package.
ABC NewsAmazon also says the cameras are used for navigation and obstacle detection rather than tracking people, and that no employee watches a live feed.
Competition is accelerating as DoorDash launched DoorDash Air after becoming the eighth drone operator to receive Part 135 certification on July 29, and Alphabet-owned Wing has completed more than 1 million commercial drone deliveries.
Uber partnered with Zipline on Aug. 17, which has completed more than 2 million deliveries globally, to bring drone delivery to Uber Eats.
Safety, regulation, and stakes
Amazon’s expansion comes as the company’s drone operations have already faced scrutiny, including federal investigations after two Amazon drones collided with a crane in Tolleson, Arizona, in October 2025 and a temporary pause in local service.
“Two Amazon drones collided with a crane in Tolleson, Arizona, in October 2025”
MashableThe following month, the FAA opened another investigation after a drone struck and severed an internet cable in Waco, Texas, and no injuries were reported in either incident.
Amazon says its detect-and-avoid system uses onboard cameras and sensors to monitor surrounding airspace and identify obstacles without requiring a person to watch a live video feed.
The rollout also hinges on shifting federal rules, with the FAA’s proposed rule for routine beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone operations published August 7, 2025, and the comment period reopened February 10, 2026 while the rule remains proposed, not final.
In the meantime, Amazon’s plan is to reach nearly 500 cities and towns by the end of 2026, while the company’s rivals—including Wing, Zipline, and DoorDash Air—continue building their own networks for last-mile delivery.
