DoorDash drone delivery gets FAA clearance with new DoorDash Air unit
DoorDash says FAA Part 135 approval lets it run DoorDash Air, an in-house drone delivery program built with DoorDash Labs.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
DoorDash drone delivery just got a bigger runway: the company said Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration has granted it Part 135 air carrier certification, clearing the way for a new in-house program called DoorDash Air.
DoorDash said the approval allows it to operate as an air carrier and build a more integrated drone delivery service for local businesses. The company described the certification as a step toward bringing drone delivery deeper into its marketplace rather than relying only on outside partners.
According to DoorDash, it is the eighth drone operator to receive the FAA’s Part 135 certification. The company said it had to complete a five-stage review covering aircraft airworthiness, maintenance plans and safety procedures.
What is DoorDash Air?
DoorDash Air is the company’s own drone delivery program, which DoorDash says is being designed and built by DoorDash Labs, its internal robotics and autonomy team. The program is meant to pair drones, ground infrastructure and handoff systems so merchants can send some orders by air.
Harrison Shih, head of DoorDash Air, said in a DoorDash blog post that the company wants drone delivery to work for merchants broadly, and that advances in hardware, computing and artificial intelligence are helping the company build new tools for local commerce.
The FAA certification does not mean human couriers are being pushed out of the picture, according to DoorDash. The company said Dashers will continue to handle deliveries that drones and other autonomous systems are not suited for, including apartment drop-offs and larger orders.
Why DoorDash wants drones for mid-range orders
DoorDash pointed to one delivery gap it believes drones can help fill: orders that travel three to five miles. The company said those trips make up 20 percent of DoorDash orders but take about 25 percent longer to complete than shorter deliveries.
DoorDash said the delay comes in part because it can be harder to find Dashers willing to accept mid-range routes. The company says drone delivery could take on some of those trips, while human Dashers focus more on shorter orders that DoorDash says could help maximize their earnings.
The company also released early performance figures from its drone work. DoorDash said drones completed deliveries in an estimated average of 25 minutes last year, and that some locations in its drone partner pilot saw order volume rise by about 30 percent during the program.
Who else is testing drone delivery?
DoorDash is joining a field where several major companies have already put drones into delivery trials or operations. Amazon, Alphabet’s Wing and Walmart have all deployed drone delivery systems, according to Mashable, though drone programs have also faced problems along the way.
DoorDash said DoorDash Air is still being designed and built, and called the FAA certification an early step for the program. The company said it expects to share more updates about DoorDash Air later this year.
This story draws on original reporting from Mashable.