In context
In late 2024, commercial drone delivery was moving from pilot programs to mainstream retail integration. Wing, an Alphabet subsidiary, had already completed over 400,000 deliveries globally, and this launch marked the first drone delivery service at American shopping malls, signaling a shift toward using underutilized mall spaces for logistics.
What was reported
Wing announced a partnership with DoorDash and Brookfield Properties to launch drone delivery at Stonebriar Centre in Frisco and Hulen Mall in Fort Worth, Texas. The service, available through the DoorDash app, offers delivery from more than 50 merchants, with items arriving in as little as 15 minutes.
Wing’s automated drones cruise at about 150 feet and travel up to 65 mph, lowering packages safely to the ground. Customers with eligible addresses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area can select drone delivery at checkout. This expansion follows successful pilots in Melbourne, Australia, and Christiansburg, Virginia.
Brookfield Properties, a global real estate manager, will trial integrating drone delivery into its shopping centers, aiming to utilize rooftops and excess parking to reach more customers at home. Katie Kurtz, senior vice president at Brookfield, said the company is proud to be the first landlord to offer drone delivery as a way to help tenants serve communities.
Why it mattered
This initiative demonstrated how malls could evolve into logistics hubs, blending retail with aerial delivery. For industrial automation, it highlighted the scalability of drone systems in complex urban environments and the importance of partnerships between technology providers, delivery platforms, and property managers to enable new use cases.
“We are proud to be the first landlord to provide drone delivery as another avenue to help our tenants serve our communities.”
Source: Robotics & Automation News (roboticsandautomationnews.com) · Published 2024-12-24 · “Wing and DoorDash to launch drone delivery service at Dallas-Fort Worth malls”