Amazon to significantly expand the availability of its Prime Air drone delivery service

Amazon.com Inc. today announced plans to significantly expand the availability of its Prime Air drone delivery service.

The company currently offers aerial deliveries in cities across Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas. It will bring Prime Air to metropolitan areas in Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Idaho and New York by year’s end. Amazon says that the expansion will grow the number of municipalities where the service is available sixfold to nearly 500.

Customers can use Prime Air to order items that weigh up to five pounds and can fit in a large shoebox. According to Amazon, that category encompasses more than 60% of the most popular goods on its e-commerce platform. Most orders arrive in about an hour, with the fastest trips taking 30 minutes to complete.

Prime Air transports packages using a drone called the MK30 that Amazon debuted in 2022. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration greenlit the aircraft for commercial flights two years later. The MK30 stands about five feet tall, has a 5.5-foot wingspan and features electric rotors that enable it to cover up to 74 miles per hour.