June 10, 2026
Provided Image/Wing
Walmart and Wing are expanding drone delivery to Philadelphia and six more metro areas in the United States in 2027.
Walmart will begin using delivery drones in the Philadelphia region in 2027, partnering with drone company Wing to deliver small packages by flight.
The two companies plan to add drone service to seven U.S. markets, increasing their service area to 20 regions in the country. Walmart already uses drones to deliver packages in Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta and several cities in Florida, among other locations.
Walmart started working with drone companies Wing and Zipline in 2020 to test drone deliveries, aiming to deliver packages up to 5 pounds in under 30 minutes. Walmart and Wing started limited commercial service in 2021 and expanded to major metro areas last year. Zipline's drones, which Walmart uses in Texas, can carry packages that weigh up to 8 pounds.
Wing uses custom-built, lightweight drones that travel up to 60 mph and use a tether to lower packages at their destinations rather than landing. The service is designed to serve single-family homes, apartment buildings and commercial delivery zones.
Before entering new markets, Walmart and Wing said they work with local governments and communities to introduce the technology.
City officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about steps that will be taken before Walmart's drones are deployed.
In addition to Philly, Walmart said it plans to introduce the service to New Orleans, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego, Salt Lake City and Memphis in the coming year.
"Expanding into new markets with Wing allows us to provide an innovative delivery option for customers, utilizing our vast store network to make everyday shopping and fulfilling last-minute needs just a little bit easier," Greg Cathey, Walmart's senior vice president of e-commerce fulfillment transformation, said in a statement.
At the end of May, Walmart said it had completed more than 1 million drone deliveries, with an average delivery time of 23 minutes. Its fastest delivery was completed in under 5 minutes.
Walmart operates five stores in Philly and another seven in the suburbs. When drone delivery becomes available, customers who are within range of the service will have the option to select drone delivery when placing orders online. Drone deliveries can also be requested directly through the Wing app.
Plans to bring the service to Philly come after Uber Eats started using a fleet of robots on wheels to make deliveries. DoorDash works with Wing and Flytrex to make drone deliveries in a handful of cities, but has not discussed plans to expand the service to Philadelphia.
Amazon also uses drones to make deliveries in several metro areas, with plans to expand to Chicago and central New York in the near future, but the company has not unveiled a timeline to bring the service to Philadelphia. Amazon launched its 30-minute delivery service in Philadelphia earlier this year.
