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Drone Delivery at Scale: Deliveries, Markets, FAA Approvals and Drones per Pilot

14 drone delivery services: deliveries made, markets, approvals, partners, fleets, how many drones one person oversees, and pauses; 70 facts, each linked to its source.

Covers
17 Nov 2023 to 18 Oct 2026
Dated by when each event occurred
Calculated
18 Oct 2026, 20:07 UTC
Sources last checked 18 Oct 2026
Where it comes from
Operators' announcements, the FAA and other regulators, partners' releases and major outlets, each linked with a verbatim quote kept in the dataset.
Method
Revision 1. Terms defined
CC BY 4.0, citing this report
Every figure as CSVJSON

What the data shows

  1. 1

    Wing is the most documented of the 14 drone delivery services (15 sourced facts).

    Figure 1
  2. 2

    Zipline reports the most deliveries on record: 3,000,000.

    Figure 2
  3. 3

    16 regulatory approvals on record across 10 services.

    Figure 4
  4. 4

    The most recent fact on record (13 Oct 2026): Weeks after its first Tulsa site, Manna said it was opening three more Tulsa bases, with further US locations planned in states including Oklahoma and Texas.

    Figure 7

Figure 1

Drone delivery services and how far they have scaled

How many deliveries has each drone service made, where does it fly, and under which approvals?

ServiceDeliveriesSourced facts
WingWingWing said it had completed well over one million commercial deliveries.
15
ZiplineZiplineZipline said its drones had made more than 3 million deliveries and flown more than 140 million miles, with operations in more than 30 municipalities in four US states.
14
Prime AirAmazonn/a
9
MannaMannaManna said it had completed almost 380,000 deliveries worldwide since its 2018 founding.
6
DroneUpDroneUpn/a
5
Part 108 BVLOS ruleFederal Register (FAA)n/a
4
Walmart drone deliveryWalmartWalmart said it had completed more than one million drone deliveries to hundreds of thousands of customers, working with providers including Wing and Zipline.
4
Keeta DroneKeeta Drone (Meituan)Meituan's drone delivery service Keeta Drone says it has completed more than 1,000,000 deliveries.
3
Skyports Drone ServicesSkyports Drone Servicesn/a
3
Drone package delivery programmatic environmental assessmentCalifornia Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney Generaln/a
2
MatternetMatternetn/a
2
Executive Order on drone dominanceThe White Housen/a
1
FlytrexWingn/a
1
Swoop AeroKite Aeron/a
1

Base: 14 drone delivery services, 70 facts, each linked to the page that states it (reviewed 18 Oct 2026).

Delivery counts are as each operator states them.

Credit: compiled by RobotTraining.jobs Research, Drone Delivery at Scale: Deliveries, Markets, FAA Approvals and Drones per Pilot, checked 18 Oct 2026.

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Figure 2

Drone services by deliveries made

Which drone delivery services have flown the most deliveries?

ServiceDeliveries
ZiplineZipline
3,000,000
Keeta DroneKeeta Drone (Meituan)
1,000,000
Walmart drone deliveryWalmart
1,000,000
WingWing
1,000,000
MannaManna
380,000

Base: 5 drone delivery services with a stated figure; each row is the largest one on record for it.

The largest stated total for each service. Walmart's drone deliveries are flown by partners such as Wing, so the two overlap.

Credit: compiled by RobotTraining.jobs Research, Drone Delivery at Scale: Deliveries, Markets, FAA Approvals and Drones per Pilot, checked 18 Oct 2026.

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Figure 3

How many drones one person oversees

How many drones does a remote pilot or flight monitor oversee at once?

ServiceAs stated
MannaMannaManna said one operator handles 25 to 30 deliveries an hour, against 2 to 3 for a delivery driver, and that one pilot can supervise several aircraft at once.
Part 108 BVLOS ruleFederal Register (FAA)The proposed Part 108 rule sets a default ratio of one drone per flight coordinator, with higher ratios allowed only through a method acceptable to the FAA.
DroneUpDroneUpIn capacity testing at its Richard Bland College facility, DroneUp said its software let one operator oversee up to 20 concurrent missions, alongside a record of 500 deliveries in a single day.
WingWingUpdated Australian approvals for Wing's Melbourne launch let a single pilot oversee up to 50 drones in the air at once, more than three times its earlier approved ratio.
DroneUpFederal Aviation AdministrationAn FAA Part 107 certificate of waiver to DroneUp (effective March 22, 2024 to March 31, 2027) lets one remote pilot in command operate up to five small drones at the same time.
ZiplineFederal Aviation AdministrationAn FAA Part 107 certificate of waiver to Zipline (effective January 10 to December 31, 2024) let one person act as remote pilot in command or visual observer for several small drones at once and allowed up to 30 to be operated simultaneously, as described in Zipline's application.

Base: 6 facts from 5 drone delivery services.

These are the remote pilot and flight monitor jobs this site lists.

Credit: compiled by RobotTraining.jobs Research, Drone Delivery at Scale: Deliveries, Markets, FAA Approvals and Drones per Pilot, checked 18 Oct 2026.

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Figure 4

Approvals and rules

Which regulators approved each service, and under which rules?

ServiceAs stated
Drone package delivery programmatic environmental assessmentCalifornia Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney GeneralCalifornia and 14 other states, plus Harris County, Texas, sued to challenge the FAA's nationwide drone delivery environmental assessment, arguing it does not adequately assess safety and environmental impacts.
MannaMannaManna received a SAIL III Operational Authorisation from the UK Civil Aviation Authority under the SORA framework.
Drone package delivery programmatic environmental assessmentFederal Register (FAA)The FAA issued a final nationwide programmatic environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact for Part 135 drone package delivery, signed July 28, 2026, finding that with its mitigation measures the deliveries would have no significant environmental impact.
Part 108 BVLOS ruleFederal Register (FAA)The FAA reopened comments on the Part 108 proposal, seeking input on electronic conspicuity and right-of-way, with comments due February 11, 2026.
Part 108 BVLOS ruleFederal Register (FAA)The FAA published its proposed Part 108 rule to normalize low-altitude beyond visual line of sight drone operations, including package delivery, plus a new framework for UTM and other third-party services.
Skyports Drone ServicesSkyports Drone ServicesSkyports won approval to pilot its AZ Turnhout medical delivery drones in Belgium remotely from its Remote Operations Centre in Buckinghamshire, UK.
Executive Order on drone dominanceThe White HouseA June 2025 executive order directed the FAA to propose a rule enabling routine BVLOS drone operations within 30 days and to publish a final rule within 240 days.
WingFederal Aviation AdministrationAn FAA final supplemental environmental assessment reviewed Wing's request to grow its Dallas-Fort Worth network from 25 authorized nests to a maximum of 75, keeping a limit of 400 deliveries per nest per operating day.
Keeta DroneKeeta Drone (Meituan)The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority issued Meituan's drone unit a BVLOS commercial drone delivery operating certificate on December 17, 2024, the first such certificate in the emirate, with Dubai Silicon Oasis as the first commercial zone.
DroneUpDroneUpDroneUp received an FAA Part 119 air carrier certificate to operate under Part 135, starting operations in Murphy, Texas with plans for its other Dallas-Fort Worth locations.
Prime AirAmazonAmazon said its MK30 drone had FAA approval to begin customer operations, including beyond visual line of sight flight with onboard detect and avoid, as deliveries started from its Tolleson, Arizona Same-Day site.
ZiplineZiplineThe FAA gave Zipline a first-of-its-kind approval to use its own UAS traffic management (UTM) system to coordinate flights with other drone operators; the FAA issued letters of acceptance to Zipline and Wing as automated data service providers in July 2024.
Prime AirAmazonThe FAA gave Prime Air permission to fly beyond visual line of sight using its onboard detect and avoid system, which Amazon used to expand its College Station, Texas delivery area.
DroneUpDroneUpThe FAA approved DroneUp to fly beyond visual line of sight for the whole flight, with participating visual observers not required to keep the drones in sight, starting with Riverside Health System medical deliveries.
WingWingThe FAA approved Wing's ADS-B based detect and avoid approach through a summary grant, allowing beyond visual line of sight flights without visual observers across a major area of Dallas airspace.
ZiplineZiplineAfter FAA approval of its onboard perception (detect and avoid) system, Zipline flew its first US beyond visual line of sight delivery flights without visual observers in Salt Lake City on November 17, 2023.

Base: 16 facts from 10 drone delivery services.

Credit: compiled by RobotTraining.jobs Research, Drone Delivery at Scale: Deliveries, Markets, FAA Approvals and Drones per Pilot, checked 18 Oct 2026.

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Figure 5

Retail and health partners

Who does each drone service deliver for?

ServiceAs stated
ZiplineZiplineZipline and Uber announced a partnership to offer Zipline drone delivery through Uber Eats, starting in markets such as Dallas and Houston, with Uber also investing in Zipline; the companies set a goal of one million deliveries a day.
ZiplineZiplineZipline said it would launch its first US healthcare home delivery service with Cleveland Clinic in July 2026, starting with prescription deliveries in the Beachwood suburb of Cleveland.
WingWingWing and Papa Johns began a drone delivery pilot in Charlotte, Wing's first direct partnership with a national restaurant brand.
Skyports Drone ServicesSkyports Drone ServicesThe Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Skyports began a 12-month cargo drone trial between lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Marine Terminal from April 27, 2026.
MatternetMatternetMatternet began NHS drone operations in Central London with Apian, linking two hospital campuses for samples and pharmaceuticals, its first UK operation.
MannaMannaUber and Manna announced a partnership to launch Uber's first European air delivery service in Ireland, with plans for more European cities.
WingWingWing and Walmart said they would add drone delivery at another 150 Walmart stores over the following year, building a network of more than 270 locations by 2027 from Los Angeles to Miami.
ZiplineZiplineZipline signed a pay-for-performance agreement with the US State Department worth up to $150 million to expand its medical drone delivery network in Africa, with African governments paying up to $400 million in utilization fees.
WingWingWing and Walmart announced an expansion to an additional 100 Walmart stores in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa, on top of 18 Supercenters already served in Dallas-Fort Worth.
FlytrexWingFlytrex and Wing began daily strategic flight coordination (UTM) in overlapping airspace in Texas, exchanging flight intent data automatically, which Wing called a US first for two commercial drone delivery services.
WingWingWith Apian and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Wing began flying NHS blood samples between London hospitals, up to 10 on-demand transfers a day on weekdays.
Skyports Drone ServicesSkyports Drone ServicesSkyports and Royal Mail extended their Orkney inter-island drone mail service, the UK's first regular commercial drone delivery service, until at least February 2026.
DroneUpDroneUpDroneUp said it provided drone delivery for Walmart at 34 locations across six states.

Base: 13 facts from 7 drone delivery services.

Credit: compiled by RobotTraining.jobs Research, Drone Delivery at Scale: Deliveries, Markets, FAA Approvals and Drones per Pilot, checked 18 Oct 2026.

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Figure 6

Pauses and shutdowns

Which drone delivery services paused or shut down?

ServiceAs stated
Prime AirNBC NewsAfter two Prime Air MK30 drones hit the boom of a crane in Tolleson, Arizona, Amazon paused Arizona drone deliveries for a day while the NTSB and FAA opened investigations.
Prime AirKBTXAmazon ended Prime Air drone deliveries in College Station, Texas, one of its first two drone sites, with final deliveries on August 31, 2025, citing integration into its fulfillment network and an expiring lease.
Prime AirNBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (CNBC)Amazon resumed Prime Air deliveries in Texas and Arizona in late March 2025 after completing an FAA-approved software update to the MK30, ending a pause of about two months.
Swoop AeroKite AeroSwoop Aero's assets, including its Kite aircraft and drone operations software, were acquired by the newly formed Kite Aero.
Prime AirTechCrunchAmazon paused Prime Air deliveries in Texas and Arizona from January 17, 2025 pending a software update to its drones; Bloomberg tied the pause to a December 2024 crash of two drones in rain at its Pendleton, Oregon test site.
Prime AirTechCrunchAmazon ended Prime Air drone delivery operations in Lockeford, California, its second US site.

Base: 6 facts from 2 drone delivery services.

Credit: compiled by RobotTraining.jobs Research, Drone Delivery at Scale: Deliveries, Markets, FAA Approvals and Drones per Pilot, checked 18 Oct 2026.

CSV

Figure 7

Every sourced fact

What exactly has been published about each drone delivery service?

ServiceKindFact
Drone package delivery programmatic environmental assessmentCalifornia Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney GeneralApprovalCalifornia and 14 other states, plus Harris County, Texas, sued to challenge the FAA's nationwide drone delivery environmental assessment, arguing it does not adequately assess safety and environmental impacts.
Drone package delivery programmatic environmental assessmentFederal Register (FAA)ApprovalThe FAA issued a final nationwide programmatic environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact for Part 135 drone package delivery, signed July 28, 2026, finding that with its mitigation measures the deliveries would have no significant environmental impact.
DroneUpDroneUpApprovalDroneUp received an FAA Part 119 air carrier certificate to operate under Part 135, starting operations in Murphy, Texas with plans for its other Dallas-Fort Worth locations.
DroneUpDroneUpDrones per pilotIn capacity testing at its Richard Bland College facility, DroneUp said its software let one operator oversee up to 20 concurrent missions, alongside a record of 500 deliveries in a single day.
DroneUpFederal Aviation AdministrationDrones per pilotAn FAA Part 107 certificate of waiver to DroneUp (effective March 22, 2024 to March 31, 2027) lets one remote pilot in command operate up to five small drones at the same time.
DroneUpDroneUpApprovalThe FAA approved DroneUp to fly beyond visual line of sight for the whole flight, with participating visual observers not required to keep the drones in sight, starting with Riverside Health System medical deliveries.
DroneUpDroneUpPartnerDroneUp said it provided drone delivery for Walmart at 34 locations across six states.
Executive Order on drone dominanceThe White HouseApprovalA June 2025 executive order directed the FAA to propose a rule enabling routine BVLOS drone operations within 30 days and to publish a final rule within 240 days.
FlytrexWingPartnerFlytrex and Wing began daily strategic flight coordination (UTM) in overlapping airspace in Texas, exchanging flight intent data automatically, which Wing called a US first for two commercial drone delivery services.
Keeta DroneKeeta Drone (Meituan)DeliveriesMeituan's drone delivery service Keeta Drone says it has completed more than 1,000,000 deliveries.
Keeta DroneKeeta Drone (Meituan)ApprovalThe Dubai Civil Aviation Authority issued Meituan's drone unit a BVLOS commercial drone delivery operating certificate on December 17, 2024, the first such certificate in the emirate, with Dubai Silicon Oasis as the first commercial zone.
Keeta DroneKeeta Drone (Meituan)DeliveriesBy December 2024 Meituan drones had opened 53 routes in Chinese cities including Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou and completed more than 400,000 orders.
MannaMannaMarket launchWeeks after its first Tulsa site, Manna said it was opening three more Tulsa bases, with further US locations planned in states including Oklahoma and Texas.
MannaMannaApprovalManna received a SAIL III Operational Authorisation from the UK Civil Aviation Authority under the SORA framework.
MannaMannaMarket launchManna launched its first US service in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from a base near Cherry Street equipped with three delivery aircraft and serving a two-mile radius.
MannaMannaDeliveriesManna said it had completed almost 380,000 deliveries worldwide since its 2018 founding.
MannaMannaPartnerUber and Manna announced a partnership to launch Uber's first European air delivery service in Ireland, with plans for more European cities.
MannaMannaDrones per pilotManna said one operator handles 25 to 30 deliveries an hour, against 2 to 3 for a delivery driver, and that one pilot can supervise several aircraft at once.
MatternetMatternetPartnerMatternet began NHS drone operations in Central London with Apian, linking two hospital campuses for samples and pharmaceuticals, its first UK operation.
MatternetMatternetMarket launchMatternet entered home delivery with a drone delivery service in Mountain View and Sunnyvale, California, after a pilot that began August 30, 2024.
Part 108 BVLOS ruleFederal Register (FAA)ApprovalThe FAA reopened comments on the Part 108 proposal, seeking input on electronic conspicuity and right-of-way, with comments due February 11, 2026.
Part 108 BVLOS ruleFederal Register (FAA)ApprovalThe FAA published its proposed Part 108 rule to normalize low-altitude beyond visual line of sight drone operations, including package delivery, plus a new framework for UTM and other third-party services.
Part 108 BVLOS ruleFederal Register (FAA)Drones per pilotThe proposed Part 108 rule sets a default ratio of one drone per flight coordinator, with higher ratios allowed only through a method acceptable to the FAA.
Part 108 BVLOS ruleFederal Register (FAA)FleetThe proposed Part 108 rule would cap operators holding a package delivery permit (rather than a certificate) at 100 active aircraft.
Prime AirAmazonMarket launchAmazon said Prime Air had delivered hundreds of thousands of packages by drone in 2026 and planned to reach customers in nearly 500 US cities and towns by the end of 2026, from 11 US sites at the time.
Prime AirAmazonMarket launchAmazon began Prime Air drone deliveries from its Darlington, England fulfillment center in February 2026, its first drone delivery location outside the US.
Prime AirNBC NewsPause or shutdownAfter two Prime Air MK30 drones hit the boom of a crane in Tolleson, Arizona, Amazon paused Arizona drone deliveries for a day while the NTSB and FAA opened investigations.
Prime AirKBTXPause or shutdownAmazon ended Prime Air drone deliveries in College Station, Texas, one of its first two drone sites, with final deliveries on August 31, 2025, citing integration into its fulfillment network and an expiring lease.
Prime AirNBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (CNBC)Pause or shutdownAmazon resumed Prime Air deliveries in Texas and Arizona in late March 2025 after completing an FAA-approved software update to the MK30, ending a pause of about two months.
Prime AirTechCrunchPause or shutdownAmazon paused Prime Air deliveries in Texas and Arizona from January 17, 2025 pending a software update to its drones; Bloomberg tied the pause to a December 2024 crash of two drones in rain at its Pendleton, Oregon test site.
Prime AirAmazonApprovalAmazon said its MK30 drone had FAA approval to begin customer operations, including beyond visual line of sight flight with onboard detect and avoid, as deliveries started from its Tolleson, Arizona Same-Day site.
Prime AirAmazonApprovalThe FAA gave Prime Air permission to fly beyond visual line of sight using its onboard detect and avoid system, which Amazon used to expand its College Station, Texas delivery area.
Prime AirTechCrunchPause or shutdownAmazon ended Prime Air drone delivery operations in Lockeford, California, its second US site.
Skyports Drone ServicesSkyports Drone ServicesPartnerThe Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Skyports began a 12-month cargo drone trial between lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Marine Terminal from April 27, 2026.
Skyports Drone ServicesSkyports Drone ServicesApprovalSkyports won approval to pilot its AZ Turnhout medical delivery drones in Belgium remotely from its Remote Operations Centre in Buckinghamshire, UK.
Skyports Drone ServicesSkyports Drone ServicesPartnerSkyports and Royal Mail extended their Orkney inter-island drone mail service, the UK's first regular commercial drone delivery service, until at least February 2026.
Swoop AeroKite AeroPause or shutdownSwoop Aero's assets, including its Kite aircraft and drone operations software, were acquired by the newly formed Kite Aero.
Walmart drone deliveryWalmartDeliveriesWalmart said it had completed more than one million drone deliveries to hundreds of thousands of customers, working with providers including Wing and Zipline.
Walmart drone deliveryWalmartMarket launchAt its one-millionth drone delivery, Walmart offered drone delivery from 66 stores in four states across five metro markets.
Walmart drone deliveryWalmartDeliveriesWalmart said it had completed more than 150,000 drone deliveries since launching the service in 2021.
Walmart drone deliveryWalmartDeliveriesWalmart said its two years of drone delivery trials had produced over 20,000 deliveries, as it announced Dallas-Fort Worth expansion with Wing and Zipline to up to 1.8 million more households.
WingWingMarket launchWing and Walmart said they would expand drone delivery to the Denver and Seattle metros in 2027, and that the partnership had given more than three million customers access to drone delivery.
WingWingMarket launchWing and Walmart started drone delivery in Greater Orlando, Wing's first market in Florida, reaching well over 50,000 homes, businesses and apartment buildings.
WingWingDeliveriesWing said it had completed well over one million commercial deliveries.
WingWingMarket launchWing and Walmart named seven more metros for drone delivery: Memphis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area and Salt Lake City, bringing their planned footprint to nearly 20 US markets.
WingWingPartnerWing and Papa Johns began a drone delivery pilot in Charlotte, Wing's first direct partnership with a national restaurant brand.
WingWingDeliveriesWing said it had completed over 750,000 deliveries to homes, with a service area covering more than two million customers in metros including Houston, Atlanta and Dallas.
WingWingMarket launchWing and Walmart launched drone delivery across Greater Houston from five Walmart stores.
WingWingPartnerWing and Walmart said they would add drone delivery at another 150 Walmart stores over the following year, building a network of more than 270 locations by 2027 from Los Angeles to Miami.
WingWingMarket launchWing and Walmart launched drone delivery in Metro Atlanta from six Walmart stores, the first new major metro in their expansion.
WingWingPartnerWing and Walmart announced an expansion to an additional 100 Walmart stores in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa, on top of 18 Supercenters already served in Dallas-Fort Worth.
WingWingMarket launchWing and DoorDash launched drone delivery in Charlotte from The Arboretum Shopping Center, serving people within about four miles.
WingFederal Aviation AdministrationApprovalAn FAA final supplemental environmental assessment reviewed Wing's request to grow its Dallas-Fort Worth network from 25 authorized nests to a maximum of 75, keeping a limit of 400 deliveries per nest per operating day.
WingWingPartnerWith Apian and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Wing began flying NHS blood samples between London hospitals, up to 10 on-demand transfers a day on weekdays.
WingWingDrones per pilotUpdated Australian approvals for Wing's Melbourne launch let a single pilot oversee up to 50 drones in the air at once, more than three times its earlier approved ratio.
WingWingApprovalThe FAA approved Wing's ADS-B based detect and avoid approach through a summary grant, allowing beyond visual line of sight flights without visual observers across a major area of Dallas airspace.
ZiplineZiplineDeliveriesZipline said its drones had made more than 3 million deliveries and flown more than 140 million miles, with operations in more than 30 municipalities in four US states.
ZiplineZiplineMarket launchZipline launched its First Flight early access program in the Austin metro, starting in Round Rock, for the first 5,000 residents.
ZiplineZiplinePartnerZipline and Uber announced a partnership to offer Zipline drone delivery through Uber Eats, starting in markets such as Dallas and Houston, with Uber also investing in Zipline; the companies set a goal of one million deliveries a day.
ZiplineZiplineDeliveriesZipline said it had completed more than 2.5 million commercial deliveries, one million of them in the previous year, with roughly 70% of its flights in the United States.
ZiplineZiplinePartnerZipline said it would launch its first US healthcare home delivery service with Cleveland Clinic in July 2026, starting with prescription deliveries in the Beachwood suburb of Cleveland.
ZiplineZiplineMarket launchZipline opened its Houston service as an early access program (First Flight) limited to the first 5,000 eligible residents, starting in the Cypress neighborhood.
ZiplineZiplineMarket launchRwanda signed the first expansion agreement under Zipline's State Department award, adding a third hub in Karongi District and Zipline's urban Platform 2 service in Kigali, for nationwide coverage of over 11 million people.
ZiplineZiplineDeliveriesZipline said it passed 2 million commercial deliveries in the week of its January 2026 funding announcement, more than all other drone delivery companies combined by its own count.
ZiplineZiplinePartnerZipline signed a pay-for-performance agreement with the US State Department worth up to $150 million to expand its medical drone delivery network in Africa, with African governments paying up to $400 million in utilization fees.
ZiplineZiplineApprovalThe FAA gave Zipline a first-of-its-kind approval to use its own UAS traffic management (UTM) system to coordinate flights with other drone operators; the FAA issued letters of acceptance to Zipline and Wing as automated data service providers in July 2024.
ZiplineZiplineDeliveriesZipline made its one-millionth commercial delivery on April 19, 2024, a flight carrying IV fluid to a health facility in Ghana's Western North Region.
ZiplineFederal Aviation AdministrationDrones per pilotAn FAA Part 107 certificate of waiver to Zipline (effective January 10 to December 31, 2024) let one person act as remote pilot in command or visual observer for several small drones at once and allowed up to 30 to be operated simultaneously, as described in Zipline's application.
ZiplineZiplineApprovalAfter FAA approval of its onboard perception (detect and avoid) system, Zipline flew its first US beyond visual line of sight delivery flights without visual observers in Salt Lake City on November 17, 2023.
ZiplineZiplineFleetZipline said it had hundreds of Platform 1 drones in its fleet and made about 10,000 commercial deliveries a week across 7 countries.

Base: All 70 facts. "Reported" means an outlet reports it from sources the company has not confirmed.

Amounts stay in the currency and form their source gives; nothing is converted or totalled.

Credit: compiled by RobotTraining.jobs Research, Drone Delivery at Scale: Deliveries, Markets, FAA Approvals and Drones per Pilot, checked 18 Oct 2026.

CSV

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How it was measured

Operators' announcements, the FAA and other regulators, partners' releases and major outlets, each linked with a verbatim quote kept in the dataset. Each row carries a link to its publication and gives the number exactly as published, with no estimates or conversions. A note under every figure says what it covers.

Drones per pilot
How many aircraft one remote pilot, flight monitor or coordinator may oversee at once, as an approval or company states it.
BVLOS
Beyond visual line of sight: flights the pilot cannot see directly, which need a waiver or rule.

Limits of this data

  • Built only from public sources. Anything never announced or reported is absent, and private-company figures are whatever the company or the press said, unaudited.
  • Delivery totals are company-stated and count differently.
  • Rules are changing: Part 108 was still a proposed rule on the reviewed date.

Collection and classification of listings are explained on the methodology page. Freshness, completeness and consistency are tested daily in the data quality report.

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Citation

RobotTraining.jobs (2026). Drone Delivery at Scale: Deliveries, Markets, FAA Approvals and Drones per Pilot (live data, 17 Nov 2023 to 18 Oct 2026). https://robottraining.jobs/research/drone-delivery-scale (accessed 18 Oct 2026)

BibTeX

@misc{robottrainingjobs_drone_delivery_scale_live,
  author = {{RobotTraining.jobs}},
  title = {Drone Delivery at Scale: Deliveries, Markets, FAA Approvals and Drones per Pilot (live data, 17 Nov 2023 to 18 Oct 2026)},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://robottraining.jobs/research/drone-delivery-scale}},
  note = {Accessed 18 Oct 2026},
}

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