DoorDash secures FAA approval to launch in-house commercial drone service

Investing.com -- DoorDash (NYSE: DASH) is taking to the skies. The logistics leader announced today that it has received Part 135 air carrier certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), clearance that authorizes the company to commercially operate its own autonomous drone fleet.

The new service, dubbed DoorDash Air, was engineered entirely in-house by DoorDash Labs, the company’s internal robotics and autonomy division.

To earn the elite designation—held by only seven other operators nationwide—DoorDash successfully completed the FAA’s rigorous five-stage evaluation covering airworthiness, fleet maintenance, and strict safety protocols.

"We want drone delivery to work for any merchant, anywhere," said Harrison Shih, Head of DoorDash Air. "We’re building the full stack to make that possible—from ground infrastructure and the aircraft itself to the seamless handoff systems that tie it all together."

Tackling the "Mid-Distance" Bottleneck

The move targets a key pain point in last-mile delivery:

• The 25-Minute Standard: In 2025, DoorDash drone pilots averaged delivery times of just 25 minutes.




• Solving Mid-Range Delays: Over 20% of DoorDash orders span 3 to 5 miles—trips that typically take nearly 25% longer on the ground. Aerial delivery fixes this friction point.




• Merchant Growth: Pilot locations saw order volumes jump by nearly 30% in the nine weeks post-launch.

Made in the USA & Integrated Network

Designed and built in the United States using mostly domestic components, DoorDash Air won’t replace human couriers. Instead, it will integrate directly into DoorDash’s existing ecosystem alongside Dashers, ground robots, and third-party autonomous partners.

DoorDash expects to unveil full aircraft specifications and rollout details later in 2026.

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