Walmart Expands Drone Deliveries to Three More U.S. States

Within the next year, customers in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa will be able to receive items by drone, according to the company. The expansion brings the total number of states offering Walmart drone deliveries to five: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas.

The service is operated in partnership with Wing, a drone delivery company, which will fly the drones within a six-mile radius of participating stores. Customers can place orders through the Wing app, with deliveries typically completed in 30 minutes or less, Walmart said.

Walmart has previously piloted drone deliveries in Northwest Arkansas and expanded to cover most of the Dallas–Fort Worth metro area. The retailer has completed more than 150,000 drone deliveries since launching the service in 2021.

“Customers are asking when drone delivery will be available in their neighborhoods,” said Greg Cathey, Walmart’s Senior Vice President of Transformation and Innovation. “We’re responding to that demand by scaling where we see the most interest.”

Cathey said customers often use the service for last-minute or urgent needs — items like eggs, cold medicine, or hamburger buns. Walmart noted that more than 50% of its 150,000-item store assortment is eligible for drone delivery.

The drone initiative is part of Walmart’s broader push to compete on convenience with rivals like Amazon, which has also been testing drone delivery through its Prime Air service. Both companies have faced delays and operational hurdles since announcing ambitious drone programs.

Walmart's drone partners have included Zipline, Flytrex, DroneUp, and Wing, though the company’s contract with DroneUp ended last year. It currently operates 21 active drone delivery sites in Arkansas and Texas, powered by Wing and Zipline.

Walmart is also experimenting with integrating drone orders into its own app. In the Dallas area, the company is testing drone delivery as a $19.99 option for non-members, or free for subscribers of its Walmart+ membership program.

Kieran Shanahan, COO of Walmart U.S., said drones are just one part of a broader effort to provide flexible delivery options. “We see it as part of a broader ecosystem of things,” Shanahan said. “And who knows what five or ten years will bring as new technologies and capabilities unlock?”

While Walmart did not disclose financial figures related to drone delivery, the company remains committed to scaling the service gradually as regulatory and logistical frameworks evolve.