Amazon to use drones to deliver packages in 500 cities: What happens to delivery workers?

Amazon plans to expand its drone delivery service to nearly 500 cities by the end of 2026. The move could speed up deliveries, but it also raises questions about how drones may change the role of human delivery workers.

In Short

• Amazon plans drone deliveries in nearly 500 US cities by year-end
• Prime Air drones can carry packages weighing up to 5 pounds
• Drones could handle some short-distance deliveries

Amazon is taking another big step toward making drone delivery a regular part of online shopping. The company plans to expand its Prime Air service to nearly 500 cities and towns across the US by the end of this year, taking the service to roughly six times its current reach.

The expansion comes more than a decade after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos first unveiled the idea of using drones to deliver small packages within minutes. The project has moved slowly since then, facing regulatory hurdles, technical problems, staff cuts and concerns from communities over noise and privacy.

According to CNBC, Amazon currently operates Prime Air across 11 US metropolitan areas, with six more locations said to come online soon. The company says its drones have already completed hundreds of thousands of deliveries this year and are making thousands of deliveries each day.

Why drones over human workers?

Amazon has spent years building its reputation around faster delivery. After making two-day shipping a standard expectation for Prime customers, the company moved towards one-day and same-day delivery. Prime Air is meant to take that idea even further.

Most drone deliveries currently reach customers in about an hour, although Amazon says some orders have arrived within just a few minutes of checkout.

The drones can carry packages weighing up to 5 pounds and travel within a 7.5-mile radius of their operating facilities. Amazon is also working on a new delivery system that uses a retractable tether to gently lower packages to the ground instead of dropping them from around 13 feet. The company hopes this could make it possible to deliver more delicate products, including eggs and other perishables.

Will human workers lose jobs?

The report doesn't include an answer to that question but the expansion does not mean Amazon is about to replace its delivery drivers with drones. The technology is currently suited to small, lightweight orders and short-distance deliveries, while human drivers can handle much larger and more varied shipments across wider areas.

Instead, drones could take over a portion of the simplest last-mile deliveries, particularly small packages going to homes close to Amazon facilities. That could eventually change the kind of work delivery employees do, even if it does not eliminate the need for them.

Amazon also faces competition. Alphabet's Wing has already crossed 1 million commercial drone deliveries and operates in 20 US markets, while Zipline has completed 2 million deliveries across four continents.

Prime Air still has technical hurdles to overcome. Two Amazon drones collided with a crane in Arizona last October, triggering investigations by US authorities. Another drone reportedly damaged an internet cable in Texas, while a Prime Air drone crash in England is also under investigation.

Could India be next?

A similar expansion in India is possible, but it is unlikely to happen quickly. Drone deliveries would need to fit within India's aviation rules and local restrictions, while companies would also have to deal with crowded cities, dense neighbourhoods and privacy concerns. India has already been testing drone-based deliveries for areas such as healthcare and e-commerce, so the technology is not entirely new. Flipkart, for instance, took part in vaccine and medical-supply delivery pilots in Telangana, while drone companies have also tested deliveries for e-commerce and other products.

However, using drones for large-scale consumer deliveries like Amazon is planning in the US would require wider regulatory approval, reliable airspace management and strong public acceptance.

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