DoorDash says the FAA granted it Part 135 air carrier certification to operate a drone delivery service and it plans to launch drone deliveries in the fall
BloombergNatalie Lung
Context & Ripple Effects
DoorDash had previously tested U.S. drone delivery through a partnership with Alphabet's Wing while using Wing with more than 60 merchants in Australia. The certification gives its planned in-house drone operation a regulatory footing for a fall launch.
DoorDash can prepare its own drone delivery service for the planned fall launch under its Part 135 certification, shifting the company from partner-led testing toward operating the service itself.
The FAA becomes a direct gatekeeper for DoorDash's drone-delivery rollout, with the certification establishing the operating framework for the service.
Second-order effects
DoorDash gains another fulfillment option alongside its existing courier network, allowing it to test where drones fit its delivery operations as the service launches.
Other delivery platforms and specialist drone operators face a more direct platform competitor; DoorDash's prior Wing test suggests it has already been evaluating how drone service connects to marketplace demand.
Third-order effects
If more delivery platforms secure comparable operating approvals, regulatory authorization—not merely drone hardware—will become a central competitive barrier in last-mile delivery.
The sector could move from isolated partner pilots toward platforms controlling more of their own aerial-delivery stack, though deployment will still depend on the FAA's operating rules and local rollout conditions.
The trend: Drone delivery is evolving from experimental partnerships into a regulated, platform-controlled last-mile capability.
DoorDash Air is here. Officially certified drone operator in the US. Delivering real orders, not demos “People come here because they want to solve real problems and see their work show up in the real world within days, not stuck in R&D hell watching a demo that never leaves the …
@DoorDash In other words, Doordash lost so much money from their own part-time delivery staff stealing food and restaurants having to remake orders that it was rendered to be cheaper in the long run to build an entire autonomous drone delivery warehouse and airport, all in one
There's a medieval peasant fantasy called the Land of Cockaigne, where food was endless and roast geese flew through the air into your mouth. A peasant watching a drone lower a hot chicken into a garden would conclude we had built it. [image]
Our new @USDOT @FAANews Part 135 certification authorizes DoorDash to operate as an air carrier - no travel plans of your own required. 😉 We'll have more to share later this year on the aircraft, but for now, learn more here: https://about.doordash.com/...
Drones are just one delivery option DoorDash Labs built to scale delivery for merchants, alongside Dashers, Dot, and our autonomous delivery partners. Everything from the aircraft to the merchant handoff system have been designed to get your orders to you quickly and safely. 🛍️
People in SF take Waymo or Zoox every day. When in London, the cars get photographed. In Paris, I still hear people say that 'autonomous cars don't work' …
DoorDash is building its own drone delivery business “called DoorDash Air, after receiving a Part 135 air carrier certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration”