Walmart and Wing will bring drone delivery to the Denver and Seattle metro areas in 2027. The additions take the companies’ announced network to nearly 20 US metros. The target of more than 270 Walmart stores in 2027 is unchanged from January.
The service is live in five metro areas: Houston, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Orlando and Charlotte, per Grocery Drive. Markets coming soon include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Cincinnati, New Orleans, St. Louis and Tampa, with no launch dates announced. Wing says more than three million customers have access to drone delivery today.
Wing operates from a station about the size of a tennis court in the store parking lot, with Walmart associates loading orders into a Wing autoloader. The drone carries the package on a tether and lowers it into the customer’s yard. It can cruise at up to 60 mph.
Wing puts the payload of its larger aircraft at up to five pounds. The aircraft Wing launched in Orlando this summer carries 2.5 pounds, per DroneXL.
Northglenn, a Denver suburb, is drafting rules for drone delivery hubs ahead of an expected application. The draft would require hubs to be 200 feet from homes, schools and childcare centers and limit operations to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Walmart has approached the city about flying orders from its Neighborhood Market there, the Denver Post reported.
Castle Rock and Parker, two other Denver suburbs, have paused approvals for drone hubs. Northglenn’s city council is expected to hold a first reading of its ordinance on Oct. 12.
