Walmart expands drone delivery to cities including Orlando, Tampa

Walmart is flying high — and this time, it’s not just in Texas. Today, Walmart expands drone delivery services to 100 stores across five states.

The retail giant just announced a major leap forward in drone delivery, becoming the first single, major retailer to scale drone delivery operations across five U.S. states. With its latest partnership with Wing, Walmart will now deliver via drone from 100 store locations across the following five states:

• Arkansas
• Florida
• Georgia
• North Carolina
• Texas

With that, Wing will reach millions of new Walmart customers in major cities including Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa.

From Texas to takeoff: expanding past the Lone Star State

If you’ve been following The Drone Girl, you already know Texas has long been the hub of drone delivery. I got to take part in Walmart’s early drone delivery tests in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Watch that experience here:

We’ve also seen Zipline launch its P2 drone site at a Mesquite Walmart — which debuted in early 2025 and offered a “quieter than your neighbor’s Honda Civic” experience.

Today’s news marks a new phase in Walmart’s drone delivery journey — and a big win for drone logistics more broadly. Up until now, drone delivery has largely been in test mode in Texas, which has been dubbed the “Drone Star State.” Texas has the political and social will. It also has excellent climate and geographic for drone delivery (aka mostly flat), and it has large, sprawling suburbs which make for an ideal test ground.

So yes, Texas still plays a critical role: both Wing and Zipline operate there, making it one of the most robust testbeds for unmanned logistics in the country. But the real news here is who else is now getting a piece of the drone pie.

By adding urban hubs like Orlando, Charlotte, and Atlanta to the roster, Walmart is effectively signaling to the rest of the country: drone delivery is no longer just a Texas experiment. It’s going national.

What you can get as Wing launches in more states — and how fast it comes

Walmart’s drone fleet, powered by Wing, promises deliveries in 30 minutes or less. The drones can travel up to 6 miles from a launch site — typically a store parking lot outfitted with a landing pad and storage hub — and operate BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight), in compliance with FAA regulations.

Among the top-selling items? According to the team at Wing, it’s a mix of must-haves and delightful conveniences:

• Fresh bananas, lemons, and limes
• Great Value eggs
• Ice cream (yes, it stays cold)
• Pet food and baby formula

Though the expansion news is dropping today, it may take some time for the rollout to actually happen in specific stores. To see if your local store is delivering (and to get notified if and when your home is eligible for deliveries), sign up on Wing’s Walmart website. And really, you should only bother if you live in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando or Tampa.

Many of you most dedicated followers know I’m a huge theme park nerd (I’ll take any excuse to go to Walt Disney World, and I absolutely loved being at the grand opening ceremony featuring a drone show for Epic Universe). Maybe this is my sign to move to Orlando.

Walmart expands drone delivery: why it matters

In 2021, Walmart began its drone journey, and since then has completed over 150,000 deliveries. But this latest announcement is more than just a bigger number. It’s a strategic shift toward scalable, mainstream, last-mile logistics.

We’ve written before on The Drone Girl about how drone delivery has struggled to move beyond pilot projects. But this expansion — reaching millions of customers across five states — is among the first truly national-scale efforts in the U.S. retail space.

And let’s not forget the infrastructure implications: by launching from existing stores (rather than centralized distribution centers), Walmart is showing that drone delivery can be a plug-and-play addition to traditional retail, rather than an entirely new logistics chain.

What’s next for drone delivery?

While Walmart is flying high, the broader drone delivery landscape is still developing. Competitors like Amazon Prime Air and UPS Flight Forward have made small inroads, but none yet match Walmart’s blend of scale, speed and integration with existing retail ops.

And if you’re wondering whether more states will join the drone delivery club soon — all signs point to yes. As FAA approvals evolve and public acceptance grows, expect Walmart (and others) to continue their skyward climb.

The message is clear: drone delivery isn’t a futuristic gimmick anymore. It’s arriving — one egg carton at a time.

Got a drone delivery in your neighborhood? We’d love to hear your experience! Tag @TheDroneGirl on social.

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