Imagine this: you forgot to buy eggs for breakfast or medicine for a cold, but instead of going to the store, you open an app, press a few buttons, and within 30 minutes, a drone drops your order right into your yard. This is not a scene from a science fiction movie but a reality that Walmart is bringing to life, expanding its ambitious drone delivery program to five new cities: Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa. Starting this summer, the retail giant, in partnership with Wing, a company owned by Alphabet, plans to launch air delivery from 100 stores, becoming the first retailer to scale this technology across five states: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas.
This expansion, announced on June 5, 2025, is not just another step in Walmart’s technological evolution but a bold signal of how retail is reimagining itself in an era of instant expectations. “We are expanding the boundaries of convenience to make shopping faster and easier than ever,” said Greg Keating, senior vice president of Walmart’s transformation and innovation. With 150,000 successful drone deliveries since 2021—including bananas, ice cream, and pet food—Walmart has already demonstrated that drones are not a futuristic dream but a practical solution for modern consumers.
A new era of logistics
The program, operated through Wing, an Alphabet subsidiary, allows delivery of goods weighing up to 2.5 pounds (or up to 5 pounds with new drone models) over distances of up to six miles from the store, with an average delivery time of 19 minutes. Drones, flying at speeds of up to 65 miles per hour, use tethers for contactless delivery directly into the customer's yard, making the process not only quick but also safe. According to Adam Woodworth, CEO of Wing, this is “drone delivery at scale,” which has already become part of everyday life in Dallas-Fort Worth and northwest Arkansas.
Industry insiders note that Walmart’s success is partly due to its partnership with Wing, which received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), allowing drones to cover larger areas. In Dallas, for example, FAA allowed Wing to perform up to 30,000 deliveries per day, and in Charlotte, up to 10,000. Such permissions are rare and indicate regulatory confidence in the safety of the technology. However, sources familiar with the situation say that scaling the program comes with challenges—from weather restrictions to the need to integrate with local communities to avoid conflicts over noise or privacy.
Why is this important?
For Walmart, which serves 270 million customers weekly in 19 countries, drones are not just a technological trick but a strategic response to competition from Amazon, whose own drone delivery project still faces regulatory and logistical hurdles. While Amazon focuses on testing in select regions, Walmart already delivers groceries, medicines, and essentials such as baby food or COVID tests in real time. “Customers use drones to quickly address urgent needs,” Keating notes. “Forgot the dinner ingredient? We’ll deliver it faster than you can drive to the store.”
Residents of Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa can sign up on Wing’s website to receive notices about the service launch in their region, while in Dallas-Fort Worth, customers can already check availability at wing.com/dfw. Interestingly, Tampa previously experienced Walmart drone deliveries in 2023, but the program was temporarily suspended to improve operations in Dallas. Now, with new technologies such as Autoloader stations for automatic order loading, Walmart is ready to return to Florida with greater strength.
Looking to the future
While Walmart celebrates its leadership in drone delivery, the industry closely monitors how this technology will reshape the retail landscape. Insiders say Walmart is already exploring integrating drones into its broader logistics network, including deliveries from pharmacies and restaurants, similar to Wing’s collaborations with DoorDash in Charlotte and Dallas. But questions remain: will drones cope with peak loads during busy seasons, and how will consumers perceive the hum of drones over their homes?
For cities like Houston or Atlanta, where speed is a competitive advantage, drones could become the new standard. But success will depend on Walmart and Wing’s ability to balance innovation with practicality, ensuring that air delivery is not only fast but also accessible. Currently, the service is free for Walmart+ subscribers, but in the future, a fee of $20 for delivery might be introduced, still competitive compared to traditional services.
Call to action
If you live in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, or Tampa, visit wing.com/walmart to learn when drones will start humming over your area. Walmart promises that the sky will become a new highway for your shopping—fresh fruits to medicines—delivered faster than you can brew your coffee. In a world where time is the most valuable resource, Walmart bets that the future of retail lies in the air.
