Amazon Aims High With Drones Amid Worries Rivals Could Fly Past

BusinessRetailAmazon Aims High With Drones Amid Worries Rivals Could Fly PastByMark Faithfull,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Mark Faithfull is London-based and covers retail and real estate Follow AuthorAug 20, 2026, 07:38am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.SummaryAmazon plans a massive expansion of its Prime Air drone delivery, aiming for nearly 500 U.S. cities by 2026, fulfilling a decade-old vision. While Amazon has made hundreds of thousands of deliveries this year, competitors like Alphabet's Wing, Walmart, and Zipline are already far ahead, with millions of deliveries and rapid expansion plans. Uber and Zipline even target 1 million daily deliveries by 2029. Amazon faces challenges including past drone incidents, regulatory scrutiny, and community opposition over noise and privacy. Despite these hurdles, Amazon is pushing for ultra-fast delivery, with FAA approval for scaled operations, as drone delivery becomes a standard retail offering.Show More An Amazon delivery drone on display at Amazon's BOS27 Robotics Innovation Hub in Westborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesFor well over a decade, Amazon has been promising that the future of shopping would arrive from above. Now, after years of regulatory battles, technical setbacks and relatively small delivery numbers, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’ vision is finally beginning to look less like science fiction.Amazon said Wednesday that it plans to make Prime Air drone delivery available in nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns by the end of this year, representing a roughly sixfold expansion of its current footprint.That would put millions more consumers within range of its small autonomous aircraft, carrying everything from groceries and medicines to consumer electronics and household essent...