Delivery by drone in an hour: Amazon ends service in Lockeford

Amazon has discontinued its Prime Air showcase project, in which goods were delivered by drone within an hour in the community of Lockeford in the US state of California. Amazon announced this to its customers on Monday by email and in a blog post. The project, which was launched in 2022 and involved around ten years of development work, will not be continued after April 22, it says. From now on, Lockeford will once again be supplied exclusively by transport trucks.

New Prime Air location

However, this does not mean the end of the drone delivery service in general. A similar Prime Air project is currently still running in College Station (Texas). This project will be continued. A new test location is also to be added. Before the end of this year, Amazon wants to offer the delivery of goods by drone in the West Valley of the Phoenix metro area in Arizona. Here, too, products are to be delivered to the customer within one hour of the order being received. Further locations are to be added from 2025.

The West Valley location is to be fully integrated into Amazon's delivery network for the first time, according to Amazon. The delivery drones will then take off from all Amazon facilities at the site, as well as the local same-day delivery center in Tolleson. The Amazon facilities are small hybrid locations that are partly fulfillment centers and partly delivery stations. Goods can be sorted and delivered more quickly at these locations. Amazon is currently in the process of obtaining the necessary approvals from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and local authorities. Once these have been obtained, the service can begin immediately.

However, it remains unclear why Amazon has given up the Lockeford site. The company has not provided any details. According to Amazon, there have been no crashes involving the MK27-2 drones used there, which can carry a maximum payload of around 2.5 kg. The approximately 6,000 residents of the community plus catchment area were also satisfied with the fast delivery option. Amazon has left open the question of whether the initial teething troubles could not be resolved and whether usage turned out to be lower than expected.

The infrastructure required for delivery within an hour is now being decommissioned in Lockeford. The approximately ten jobs associated with this will be lost. The employees will be able to find accommodation at other Prime Air locations - if they are willing to relocate.

Improved drone

Amazon is currently working on improvements to the drone. Flight tests are currently being carried out on the new MK30 drones. It should be even quieter and fly further than the MK27-2 and also be able to be used in difficult weather conditions.

The drone will also be able to deliver – i.e. drop – parcels in a smaller space. This would allow goods to be delivered in smaller gardens and make the drone suitable for use in confined urban spaces. Amazon then wants to use this drone in the various Prime Air projects.

(olb)