Zipline Stock

Walmart is expanding its drone delivery program to 1.8 million more households in Texas. The retailer says its drone deliveries now cover 75 percent of the population in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, all thanks to partnerships with drone startups Wing and Zipline. Walmart launched its drone delivery program with Zipline and DroneUp in Arkansas in 2021 before expanding it to more states in 2022. The newly expanded service in Texas allows customers living within 10 miles of a participating Walmart to get items delivered to their homes via drone.

Delivery drone startup Zipline completed its first beyond-the-visual-line-of-sight drone flight in the U.S. with no visual observers on November 24, 2023. To accomplish this, Zipline received a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration, which requires humans to be on the ground to oversee every drone flight. With this waiver, Zipline can increase its U.S. route length and reduce its need for human capital that would otherwise be for visual observation.

Cleveland Clinic, considered one of the top hospital systems in the world based on rankings by outlets such as U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek, is partnering with drone delivery provider Zipline to fly certain medications directly to patients’ porches, patio tables, or front steps starting in 2025. Deliveries will be made using Zipline’s Platform 2 (P2) delivery system, which is designed to complete 10 sm (8.7 nm) trips to dense, urban areas in about 10 minutes.