Wing drones deliver DoorDash orders in Australia

Standard delivery, scheduled delivery, pickup … and drone delivery?

Most food delivery apps only offer those first three options. But DoorDash (NYSE: DASH) on Monday launched a pilot of on-demand drone delivery in Logan, Australia, with Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) subsidiary Wing, which has been operating in the Brisbane suburb since 2019.

It’s the first time the drone delivery provider has made its service available via a third-party app.

Customers can now place orders of convenience, grocery items,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/wing-drones-deliver-doordash-orders-in-australia

Valqari acquires IDU Group in quest to build citywide drone networks

drone delivery

Plenty of companies are laser-focused on the last mile of delivery and its many pitfalls. Some are even honed in on the final hundred feet. 

But for a select few, the last mile is really a game of inches.

Valqari, a Chicago-based drone delivery startup, on Tuesday announced it had acquired Staffordshire, U.K.-based IDU Group, which builds drone infrastructure that can be installed from rooftops and the windows of buildings. Combined with Valqari’s drone landing stations and smart mailboxes, the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/valqari-acquires-idu-group-in-quest-to-build-citywide-drone-networks

Amazon drone delivery is coming to College Station, Texas

Amazon delivery drone

Amazon will begin delivering packages via drone to residents in College Station, Texas, later this year, the company announced Friday.

After nearly a decade of anticipation, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) last month announced that Prime Air drone deliveries would finally be getting off the ground in the town of Lockeford, California, later this year. It said “hundreds of residents” already have expressed interest in the service.

Now, Amazon customers in College Station should expect to hear from the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/amazon-drone-delivery-is-coming-to-college-station-texas

The future of the final mile is bright

The future of last mile delivery is bright

As the final cog in the massive supply chain machine, the last mile has been a hub of innovation and turmoil amid pandemic-driven disruptions. The final leg of logistics has been regarded for years as a cost base rather than a revenue driver, but it’s finally getting its time in the limelight as retailers and carriers increasingly place the last mile under the microscope.

What’s in store for the last leg of logistics in 2022? We’ll be exploring that and a range of other industry questions at The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/the-future-of-the-final-mile-is-bright

Elroy Air unveils fully autonomous Chaparral aircraft

For many consumers, delivery in more than two days simply doesn’t cut it anymore. The consumer in 2022 wants things the next day, the same day or even within the hour, but delivering on that expectation can be difficult for road- or rail-based vehicles, which are restricted to the paths that have been built for them.

“There is a lot of increasing pressure on logistics,” explained Dave Merrill, CEO of aerial delivery...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/elroy-air-unveils-fully-autonomous-chaparral-aircraft

Flytrex will make chicken wings fly in North Carolina

Flytrex drones are coming to Holly Springs

Flytrex, the company that wants to bring drones to your backyard, announced on Tuesday an expansion of its drone delivery service to Holly Springs, North Carolina, a Smart Cities Award winner, where it will fly orders of chicken wings directly to residents’ front and backyards.

In partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the town of Holly Springs and Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE: KRG), Flytrex will collaborate with Brinker...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/flytrex-will-make-chicken-wings-fly-in-north-carolina

Mesa Air to become first US airline to test drone delivery

Regional air carrier Mesa Air will become the first U.S. airline to enter the world of drone delivery. Mesa Air Group, the parent company of Mesa Air, has signed an agreement with drone provider Flirtey for four delivery drones with an option to purchase 500 additional drones.

Mesa (NASDAQ: MESA) and Flirtey said in a joint release they will target last-mile food delivery initially. The service will eventually be expanded in the U.S. and New Zealand.

“Mesa is excited to partner with Flirtey to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/mesa-air-to-become-first-us-airline-to-test-drone-delivery

Drone Disruptors: Flytrex is bringing drones to your backyard

Drone Disruptors: Flytrex is pushing last-mile drone delivery in U.S. suburbs

The world’s largest companies have been pushing drones as a delivery method of the future for nearly a decade now. The thing is, those same companies are starting to pull back. Recently, both Amazon and DHL, two of the biggest companies that have ventured into the drone space, have shied away from drones, with the latter ceasing drone development entirely.

With the bigger players cooling off on drones, the space is ripe for the picking for the hundreds of drone startups that have been innovating...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/drone-disruptors-flytrex-is-bringing-drones-to-your-backyard

Skycart ups ante with 4-drop delivery drone

Skycart releases 4 drop delivery drone

Less than a month after Wingcopter introduced the world’s first triple-drop capable drone delivery system, San Francisco-area Skycart has gone a step further, announcing a drone capable of making four deliveries in a single flight.

The Skycart Nimbus can deliver by line, parachute or ground delivery. It has self-balancing technology that ensures the drone stays stable through flight as deliveries are made.

“The Skycart Nimbus is crucial to saving lives because it bridges communities to major...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/skycart-ups-ante-with-4-drop-delivery-drone