Walgreens and Wing are teaming up to fulfill on-demand air deliveries. A new drone delivery model allows Wing to expand into major US metropolitan areas—starting with Dallas-Fort Worth.
The economic and cultural hub of North Texas is the first to utilize this new approach in which Walgreens employees process orders and load packages from the retailer's parking lot. Deliveries will initially serve parts of Frisco and Little Elm.
Aircraft arrive in small containers (like tiny hangars), providing each store a small, dedicated fleet that may be deployed from the roof or other small spaces near the building.
"Until now, this type of service in the United States has been limited to smaller towns, where airspace is less crowded and complex," a Wing blog announcement said. "Wing's reliable aircraft and advanced flight planning and routing capabilities make it uniquely capable of operating a highly automated drone delivery service in more crowded, complex airspace."
Following months of test flights, Alphabet's Wing will soon launch a "small number" of trial runs in Little Elm and Frisco; the company plans to set up delivery demonstrations "in the coming weeks" to collect community feedback. "We expect to launch a commercial service [in Dallas-Fort Worth] that would be the first of its kind in a major US metro," according to the blog.
Wing also partnered with developer Hillwood for a separate drone delivery facility within the mixed-use development of Frisco Station. Featuring office, residential, retail, restaurant, and medical spaces, the project will center around a dedicated shopping and entertainment district known as "The Hub."
Boasting "all the usual delivery capabilities," the facility will be "dedicated to exploring new use cases, community demonstrations, school field trips, and public tours," the blog said.