DoorDash gains FAA certification to operate its own drone delivery program

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DoorDash said its drone network may handle midrange deliveries, which are less attractive to Dashers. | Source: DoorDash

More drone deliveries are taking to the skies. DoorDash yesterday said it has earned Part 135 air carrier certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. With that approval, the food delivery giant is launching DoorDash Air, its in-house drone program.

In recent years, DoorDash has increasingly invested in automation, and the company is interested in building much of its delivery automation in-house. Last year, it unveiled Dot, its first autonomous delivery robot. The company said it built Dot to travel on bike lanes, roads, sidewalks, and driveways to perform local deliveries.

Now, the FAA’s certification means that San Francisco-based DoorDash can operate as an air carrier.

“We want drone delivery to work for any merchant, anywhere,” said Harrison Shih, the head of DoorDash Air. “We’re building the full stack to make that possible from the ground infrastructure to the drone itself, and the handoff systems that make it work together seamlessly.”

“Advances in hardware, compute, and AI are creating extraordinary new capabilities for local commerce, and becoming a certified air carrier accelerates everything we’re building,” he added.

DoorDash noted that FAA Part 135 certification involves a rigorous testing process with high standards. Operators must pass a robust five-stage evaluation process verifying aircraft airworthiness, maintenance programs, and safety procedures.

“This certification is the product of years of engagement with the FAA,” a DoorDash spokesperson told The Robot Report . “The process is a rigorous multi-stage safety review that authorizes us to perform commercial operations as a licensed air carrier.”

“It required us to clear a five-stage federal process: airworthiness testing, detailed flight operations and maintenance documentation reviewed by the FAA, an FAA-accepted safety management system, a hazardous materials program, and more,” said the spokesperson. “We’re proud to be one of only eight drone operators in the country to have cleared the process.”

DoorDash already works with Wing for drone deliveries. However, the company is building its drone program inside DoorDash Labs, its in-house robotics and autonomy team.