By Sarah Nassauer
Drones are more likely to be buzzing overhead this year if you live in Dallas.
Walmart plans to offer drone delivery to most of the region this year, a major expansion of its effort in recent years to provide the delivery option to some customers in several states.
In Dallas, Walmart will partner with Wing, a unit of Alphabet, and Zipline, a global drone delivery company that works with healthcare providers and others. Walmart is currently offering drone delivery in a limited way in Dallas. After the expansion, drone delivery from Walmart will be available to about 75% of the Dallas-Fort Worth population, the company said.
The drone companies handle delivery, while Walmart provides goods and access to shoppers.
The Federal Aviation Administration has in recent months allowed several drone-delivery companies to fly in less restrictive ways, spurring the Dallas expansion and other developments in the industry. Both Wing and Zipline are approved by the FAA to fly their drones without a dedicated observer being able to see them at all times, Walmart said. That allows the companies to deliver to a wider radius.
Drone delivery has become more mainstream in recent years as companies such as Alphabet and Walmart push for regulatory approval. Amazon spurred broader interest in the technology in 2013 when then-Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said on the CBS news program “60 Minutes” that the company was developing drones to deliver packages. Progress moved slowly. Amazon has delivered some packages via drone since 2022 and said last October that it planned to expand the program this year.
Walmart currently delivers packages by drone in six states, said a spokeswoman. The expansion across most of Dallas, a sprawling metro area, will be the first time the retailer has offered drone delivery to so many households in one region. Shoppers tend to use drone delivery for last-minute or impulse purchases like a forgotten ingredient for a recipe, over-the-counter medicine or sweets, the company said.
Write to Sarah Nassauer at Sarah.Nassauer@wsj.com