Wing, Walgreens begin drone delivery in Dallas suburbs

The first commercial drone delivery service in a major U.S. metropolitan area will launch this week in suburban Dallas, where Google-owned Wing will begin delivering items from Walgreens and a few other partners.

Why it matters: Until now, drone delivery trials have been limited to small towns and rural areas, which are less congested. But Wing aims to prove it can provide on-demand deliveries in more complex urban settings as well.

The launch marks a new, “more scalable” approach for drone delivery, says Wing.

• The company will partner with retailers, staging its drones at their stores so they can deploy their own dedicated fleet from their parking lot, roof or nearby spaces.
• Store employees will fill customer orders, then use a tablet to summon the drone and step outside to clip the package to the drone’s tether.
• Wing employees will oversee the delivery from a remote location.

Details: The service, operating from a Walgreens in Little Elm, begins Thursday for “tens of thousands of…