"We want drone delivery to work for any merchant, anywhere. We're building the full stack to make that possible from the ground infrastructure to the drone itself, and the handoff systems that make it work together seamlessly," said Harrison Shih, Head of DoorDash Air. "Advances in hardware, compute, and AI are creating extraordinary new capabilities for local commerce, and becoming a certified air carrier accelerates everything we're building."
DoorDash said its drone operations are being developed internally through DoorDash Labs, the company's robotics and autonomy division. Rather than focusing solely on the aircraft, the company said it is also building the supporting infrastructure needed for commercial deployment, including inventory synchronization, merchant handoff systems, and operational software that integrates drones into its broader marketplace.
The company said its aircraft is purpose-built for local commerce and complements the short- and long-range drone designs offered by existing partners. According to DoorDash, the drone is designed and built in the United States, with most components sourced domestically.
DoorDash believes drone delivery can address specific delivery challenges while giving merchants another fulfillment option. The company said more than 20% of DoorDash orders in 2025 traveled between three and five miles, with those deliveries taking nearly 25% longer on average than shorter trips because matching them with Dashers often requires additional time.
By assigning more mid-range deliveries to drones, DoorDash said Dashers can focus on shorter trips that allow them to complete more deliveries while remaining closer to concentrations of merchants.
The company also highlighted results from earlier drone delivery pilots. According to DoorDash, participating locations experienced roughly 30% order growth that continued throughout the nine weeks following launch. The company estimated drone deliveries averaged about 25 minutes in 2025 and said the service is intended for items ranging from meals and coffee to everyday essentials such as cold medicine.
DoorDash said DoorDash Air operates as part of its broader delivery network alongside Dashers, its Dot sidewalk robot, and autonomous delivery partners. Dashers will continue handling the majority of deliveries, particularly larger orders and locations where autonomous vehicles are not practical.
To coordinate different delivery methods, DoorDash said it relies on its Autonomous Delivery Platform, which determines the most appropriate fulfillment option for each order in real time. The company added that it is continuing to develop merchant tools, including AI-powered products such as SmartScale, while expanding support for autonomous delivery technologies.
DoorDash described the certification as a major milestone but said it represents the beginning of a broader effort to operate an integrated drone delivery network.
"We'll have more to share later this year on the aircraft and how our drone program fits into the broader network alongside Dashers, Dot, and our partners," the company said.
This analysis is based on reporting from DoorDash.
Image courtesy of DoorDash.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
