Wing to expand drone delivery to another 150 Walmart stores

Wing, the drone delivery service owned by Alphabet, is set to significantly expand its collaboration with Walmart. In an announcement made on Sunday, the company revealed plans to extend its on-demand drone delivery service to an additional 150 Walmart stores. This expansion is part of a strategy to enhance existing services already operational in Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta, with the rollout expected to occur throughout this year and into 2027, according to Heather Rivera, Wing's new chief business officer. The growth of this service indicates a strong demand, as Rivera highlighted that the top 25% of Wing's customers utilize the drone delivery service up to three times a week. Popular items frequently ordered include essentials like eggs, ground beef, fresh tomatoes, avocados, limes, and snacks such as Takis. This latest announcement follows plans made in June 2025, where Wing shared intentions to launch its service in cities including Houston, Orlando, Tampa, and Charlotte. The Houston launch is scheduled for January 15. Once fully implemented, Wing will operate from over 270 Walmart locations, encompassing major cities like Los Angeles, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Miami, thus catering to approximately 10% of the U.S. population. This initiative firmly establishes Wing, which originated from Google X, in the commercial sector. While the company also collaborates with DoorDash, its primary growth avenue has been through Walmart. The partnership began in 2023 with a pilot program testing drone delivery at two stores in the Dallas area, which reached around 60,000 households. The program subsequently expanded to 18 Walmart Supercenters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and recently included stores in Atlanta. Rivera stated that Wing is committed to evolving its technology and operations. Notably, the company has recently completed its first commercial flights with larger aircraft capable of carrying a five-pound payload. The focus remains on integrating its services within Walmart operations, with plans to scale through various strategies, including clustering store openings as successfully implemented last year in Atlanta. While Rivera did not disclose whether the operations are currently profitable or when they might become so, she emphasized her role in scaling the business. "Volume is definitely powering our flywheel," she stated, underscoring the importance of expanding to as many stores and markets as possible for the overall health of the company's economics.