Amazon has announced plans to expand its drone delivery service to almost 500 towns and cities in the US by the end of the year.

The e-commerce giant currently offers drone delivery in ten cities: Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Detroit, Michigan; Kansas City, Kansas; Omaha, Nebraska; Phoenix, Arizona; Tampa, Florida; and Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Waco in Texas.

In the coming months, Amazon plans to launch Amazon Prime Air in five more cities across the East Coast and Midwest: Atlanta, Boise, Chicago, Cleaveland, and Syracuse.

Amazon uses MK30 drones for Prime Air, which have a 7.5-mile range. It said this allows it to cover a 175 square mile area around each drone launch point it opens.

Prime Air launched in 2022, nine years after Jeff Bezos first suggested Amazon would pursue drone delivery. Amazon says the service allows customers to order almost any item that weighs five pounds (2.26kg) or less that can “fit inside a large shoebox”.

The e-commerce giant says more than 60 per cent of frequently ordered items are eligible for Prime Air, including cosmetics, electronics, groceries, and medications.

When customers choose the service as their delivery option, they are prompted to select a designated landing zone on their property, which Amazon identifies by analysing satellite imagery with AI.

Amazon aims to deliver packages to customers by drone in as little as 30 minutes. Amazon Prime members can select the service for free on orders over $50, or for $2.99 on orders below $50, while non-member customers pay a $4.99 fee.

David Carbon, vice president of Amazon Prime Air, said: “Customers already turn to Amazon for fast same- and next-day delivery, and Prime Air provides them an even speedier option when they need it, with deliveries in as fast as 30 minutes.

“We've already delivered hundreds of thousands of packages to customers by drone this year, and by the end of 2026 we plan to reach customers in nearly 500 cities and towns. We're pairing the convenience of ultrafast drone delivery with the low prices and selection customers love about Amazon.”

The MK30 drones used for Prime Air are autonomous and use onboard cameras and sensors to navigate. Amazon said it has achieved Federal Aviation Administration Part 135 certification, equal to that of commercial flight carriers, and that drones check their surroundings to ensure they do not land on people, pets, or vehicles.

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