DoorDash Wins FAA Approval to Launch In-House Autonomous Drone Delivery Program
Insider Brief
- DoorDash received FAA Part 135 certification and launched DoorDash Air, giving it authority to operate as an air carrier and develop an in-house drone delivery program integrated with its commerce network.
- DoorDash Labs will build the aircraft, ground infrastructure and merchant handoff systems, with the U.S.-designed drone intended to complement partner fleets and handle mid-range deliveries.
- DoorDash said earlier drone pilots averaged 25-minute deliveries in 2025, while some participating merchants recorded roughly 30% order-volume growth after launch.
DoorDash announced it has received federal approval to operate as an air carrier, clearing the way for the delivery company to launch an in-house drone program alongside its drivers, ground robots and autonomous-delivery partners.
According to the company, the Federal Aviation Administration granted DoorDash Part 135 certification, which allows the company to transport goods by air for paying customers. The certification gives DoorDash more direct control over drone operations rather than relying entirely on outside aviation partners.
The company is launching the program under the name DoorDash Air and plans to develop its own aircraft, ground infrastructure and operating systems through DoorDash Labs, its internal robotics and autonomy division.
DoorDash Air will operate on the company’s existing commerce network, allowing restaurants and retailers already using the platform to add drone delivery without building separate ordering or logistics systems. DoorDash said it would disclose more details about the aircraft and initial operations later this year.
“We want drone delivery to work for any merchant, anywhere,” said Harrison Shih, Head of DoorDash Air. “We’re building the full stack to make that possible from the ground infrastructure to the drone itself, and the handoff systems that make it work together seamlessly. Advances in hardware, compute, and AI are creating extraordinary new capabilities for local commerce, and becoming a certified air carrier accelerates everything we’re building.”
Building the Full Delivery System
DoorDash indicated it is designing a drone to fill gaps it sees in local delivery, especially with trips that are too long to feasibly complete with drivers but do not require a large vehicle. The aircraft will complement short- and long-range drones operated by the company’s partners.
The drone is being designed and built in the U.S., with most of its components produced domestically, according to DoorDash.
The company said the larger challenge is connecting aircraft with merchants and its existing delivery network. That work includes reconciling inventory in real time and developing systems for handing orders to drones at drive-through lanes, rooftops and back entrances.
DoorDash said it has completed tens of thousands of drone deliveries through earlier partnerships and has processed more than 10 billion orders across its broader platform.
Drones delivered orders in an estimated average of 25 minutes in 2025, the company said. Some merchants participating in partner-operated drone pilots recorded an order-volume increase of roughly 30%, with the gain continuing during the nine weeks after the programs began.
Targeting Mid-Range Orders
DoorDash sees drones as one way to improve the economics of deliveries traveling several miles.
More than 20% of orders placed on the platform in 2025 traveled between three and five miles, according to the company. Those orders took nearly 25% longer on average than shorter trips, in part because it can take more time to find a driver willing to accept them.
Routing some mid-range orders by air could allow DoorDash drivers to concentrate on shorter trips and the so-called Dashers will continue to handle the vast majority of its millions of daily deliveries, including large orders and trips requiring access to apartment buildings.
The company’s Autonomous Delivery Platform is intended to select the most effective delivery method for each order. Its options include Dashers, partner-operated autonomous vehicles, drones and Dot, the company’s small ground-delivery robot.
DoorDash introduced Dot as a robot designed to travel on roads, bicycle lanes and sidewalks while carrying food and retail orders. Both Dot and the new drone program are being developed through DoorDash Labs.
The company said it is also building merchant tools, including its SmartScale system, to connect autonomous delivery technologies with store operations.
