Amazon’s Prime Air Drone Delivery Service Begins in Suburban Areas

Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery service recently launched in the southern and southwestern suburbs, surprising some residents and officials. The service started on October 12 from Amazon’s Markham location, providing delivery within a 7.5-mile radius of the distribution center at 2201 W. 159th St. This includes areas like Homewood, Harvey, and South Holland.

Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld expressed that the service’s launch was unexpected, as the community had not been informed by Amazon beforehand. Amazon’s economic development manager, Sam Bailey, indicated that Prime Air will soon operate from the Matteson location at 7001 Vollmer Road, but no specific start date was provided.

Bailey noted high demand for the service in Markham, where the site frequently meets its daily capacity of 300 drone orders. The drones make deliveries across the 7.5-mile radius, achieving thousands of deliveries with 21 drones. Amazon plans to expand its capacity while celebrating the service’s timely launch before the holidays. The upcoming Matteson launch is expected to enhance this capacity further.

Amazon received necessary approvals from Markham for the construction of the drone facilities and from the Federal Aviation Authority to use the local airspace. Drones are fairly noisy at low altitudes, with their sound briefly reaching up to 68 decibels during delivery, occurring only during daytime.

Drones can carry packages weighing up to 5 pounds, and 60% of Markham’s inventory is suitable for drone delivery. All drones are fitted with forward-facing cameras for navigation, used only in emergencies.

Prime Air aims to serve urgent, small-scale needs, particularly for parents, seniors, or individuals unable to leave home. Markham Mayor Roger Agpawa, celebrating the program’s initiation, compared the technology to “The Jetsons” and highlighted its positive economic impact.

Not all feedback has been positive. Some concerns were raised over safety and noise. Agpawa and Hofeld acknowledged varied resident reactions, ranging from enthusiasm to wariness about the noise and potential mishaps. Residents are advised to clear the area during a delivery, as detected movement can cancel the drop. Safety and noise concerns can be reported to Amazon or the Federal Aviation Administration.

Amazon aims to expand Prime Air to nearly 500 cities and towns by year’s end, reflecting the company’s commitment to broadening its innovative delivery solutions.