DoorDash Air will let the company operate its own commercial drone fleet in the United States, with deliveries expected to begin in fall 2026 as it adds drones to its wider autonomous logistics network.
DoorDash has secured Part 135 air carrier certification from the FAA (U.S. aviation regulator), clearing the way to launch DoorDash Air, an in-house commercial drone delivery service in the United States. The approval makes DoorDash the eighth operator in the country with that certification and allows it to fly its own custom-built aircraft rather than relying only on partners. The new unit was developed by DoorDash Labs and is intended to plug into the company’s broader Autonomous Delivery Platform, software that routes orders across human Dashers, Dot sidewalk robots, and eventually drones based on factors such as speed, cost, distance, and merchant handoff needs. Harrison Shih, Head of DoorDash Air, said the goal is to make drone delivery work “for any merchant, anywhere” by building the “full stack” from aircraft and ground infrastructure to handoff systems. DoorDash said the move expands, rather than replaces, existing partnerships with Wing and Flytrex. The company has said more than 20% of orders on its platform travel 3 to 5 miles, a range where deliveries typically take nearly 25% longer than shorter trips. In 2025 pilot programs, drone deliveries averaged 25 minutes and participating merchant locations saw order volumes rise by nearly 30% in the nine weeks after launch. Commercial deliveries are expected to begin in fall 2026, though broader autonomous operations will still require BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight, long-range drone flight without a nearby observer) approval from the FAA. DoorDash said more aircraft details and a rollout timeline are expected later in 2026.