On July 29, 2026 (Beijing time), TechCrunch and Axios reported that DoorDash launched its in-house drone delivery service DoorDash Air after obtaining Part 135 air carrier certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. The project is being developed by the company's robotics and automation team with plans to integrate into existing delivery apps. Neither media outlet provided details on the first operational city, commercial launch date, or when it will be available to consumers; at this stage, obtaining a certificate does not mean drones have started delivering packages.
Scope of Certification and In-House Structure
Part 135 is the operational certification pathway for commercial drone package delivery in the United States. The FAA explains that small drones must go through this certification process to deliver goods for others beyond visual line-of-sight; however, certificate holders still need specific authorizations for particular operations. Current public materials do not list DoorDash's certificate category, approved aircraft types, airspace or routes, nor whether it has obtained exemptions or permits required for beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights, so the certification cannot be equated to a nationwide operational permit.
Axios reports that DoorDash plans to develop custom drones and manage part of its air delivery in-house while maintaining partnerships with Wing and Flytrex. In-house operations will coexist with partner capacity; materials do not specify how many orders each party will handle or whether the scope of cooperation has changed. DoorDash has yet to disclose who manufactures its aircraft, what stage they are at (design or test flights), planned production numbers, or which orders will prioritize using their own aircraft.
Multi-Mode Scheduling and Project Goals
When DoorDash introduced the Dot ground delivery robot on September 30, 2025, it also outlined its Autonomous Delivery Platform. The company states that this software will choose a delivery mode among human couriers, Dot robots, drones, and other methods based on factors such as speed, cost, location, and experience for each order. This information provides context for the existing scheduling system into which DoorDash Air plans to integrate; it does not provide new drone performance data or independent testing of this allocation method or disclosure of different capacity ratios.
TechCrunch's public reporting places DoorDash Air under the company’s robotics and automation team, with plans to eventually integrate into the DoorDash delivery app. Axios lists Harrison Shih as the head of DoorDash Air; he describes the company's goal as connecting ground infrastructure, drones, and handover systems so that different merchants can use drone deliveries. This is a statement about construction scope and product direction rather than completed operational results; current materials do not list merchant access conditions, handover equipment, or app processes.
FAA General Requirements and Tiered Authorization
The FAA's general rules require that package delivery drones fly below 400 feet above ground level. Operators must also obtain airspace authorization, establish hubs and distribution facilities, comply with state and local regulations, complete applicable environmental reviews, and respond to public inquiries about operations. Regulatory bodies note that site selection is up to the operator, and land use, zoning, and noise-sensitive area requirements still apply. These are rules all relevant operators face, not records of DoorDash completing each step.
Beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight and obtaining air carrier certification belong to different authorization levels. The regulatory page defines beyond visual line-of-sight as the aircraft leaving the direct sight of the operator and notes that small package delivery requires corresponding exemptions or permits. The certification process also includes on-site facility inspections and validation of flight and maintenance procedures; applicants may need to submit operational areas, ground risks, communication services, and collision avoidance materials. Current sources do not publicly disclose DoorDash's documents, test conclusions, or approval scope in these areas, so only the media-reported certification progress can be confirmed.
Update Time Difference and Key Gaps
There is a clear update time difference among sources. TechCrunch and Axios both reported on July 29 that DoorDash has obtained Part 135 certification, with Axios calling the company the eighth such drone operator in the United States; however, the FAA's public list of operators was last updated on July 21 and still only lists seven companies without mentioning DoorDash. This page is eight days earlier than the reports and cannot be used to negate the new information from both media outlets or independently confirm DoorDash’s certificate category, aircraft types, and operational norms.
DoorDash has not disclosed its in-house aircraft's payload capacity, range, speed, dimensions, power source, safety systems, production status, first cities, routes, hub locations, fleet size, pricing, accident records, noise data, or environmental review documents. Axios also cites company data stating that drone deliveries within five miles average less than 25 minutes, but current materials do not provide sample sizes, test markets, calculation methods, or independent verification. This figure can only be recorded as DoorDash's self-reported data and cannot be extrapolated to represent DoorDash Air’s actual service levels.