DoorDash Secures FAA Air Carrier Approval to Launch Custom Drone Delivery Unit
DoorDash Air receives Part 135 certification, launching custom-built delivery aircraft alongside sidewalk delivery bots to optimize last-mile logistics.
Food and grocery delivery giant DoorDash has officially unveiled DoorDash Air, a dedicated drone delivery business that includes its own custom-manufactured aircraft. The service received Part 135 air carrier certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), granting the platform legal authorization to operate commercial unmanned delivery flights nationwide.
🚁 DoorDash Air and FAA Certification
Developed inside DoorDash Labs — the company's autonomous R&D division — DoorDash Air represents an internal push into aerial hardware design.
- Part 135 License: Provides commercial air carrier status necessary to operate customer delivery routes.
- Phased Rollout: Initial operations will launch as limited pilot programs operating within line of sight before expanding to full autonomous operation.
- Multimodal Strategy: DoorDash Air complements Dot, the company's 350-pound autonomous sidewalk delivery bot currently deployed in Phoenix and California.
⚙️ Hybrid Logistics Engine
Rather than replacing human dashers entirely, DoorDash is designing an intelligent dispatch system that dynamically chooses the optimal delivery method based on distance, order payload, and urban density.
[ Order Placed ] ──> [ DoorDash Logistics Engine ]
├── Sidewalk Bot (Short distance)
├── Commercial Drone (Mid distance)
└── Human Dasher (Complex / Large orders)
Despite launching proprietary aircraft, DoorDash will maintain its existing commercial drone partnerships with Wing and Flytrex in selected U.S. and international markets.
🔮 What's Next for Autonomous Delivery
To unlock long-distance autonomous delivery across dense suburban areas, DoorDash will seek Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) FAA clearance in future phases. Co-founder Stanley Tang emphasized that hardware and dispatch software work together as a unified operating system to solve last-mile delivery economics.
🔗 Reference
- Original Article: Read the full story on TechCrunch
