Flytrex launching automated drone delivery service in Texas

High-flying drone delivery company Flytrex says it will launch fast transport of food orders in suburbs around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex as part of a geographical expansion of its existing partnership with restaurant group Brinker International. 

As it’s done in three areas of North Carolina for the past two years, Flytrex plans on launching its Texas drone delivery services out in the suburbs – in this case based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area town of Granary. In doing so, it promises to lower food orders to customer’s backyards inside five minutes. Flights will be operated by Flytrex partner Causey Aviation Unmanned, which has also overseen their joint activity in North Carolina.

As was the case in that state, the upcoming launch in Texas will benefit from a newly granted Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver permitting Flytrex UAVs to fly in a one nautical mile radius.

“We’re thrilled to be soaring into the Lone Star State – an outsized achievement for ultrafast home delivery,” said Yariv Bash, Flytrex CEO. “After establishing drone delivery as a preferred option in North Carolina, we are excited to bring our unrivaled speed and convenience to Texas, where big things happen. We look forward to bringing drone delivery to backyards across the U.S. as we expand our service nationwide.” 

As Bash explained to DroneDJ last month, Flytrex is taking a different approach to drone deliveries than most rivals, including producing its own bespoke UAVs, and working closely with the FAA’s BEYOND program in attaining expanded authorization of their use. That allowed the company to branch out from one to three current operational areas in North Carolina since 2020, and now cover an estimated 10,000 homes. 

Recently Flytrex released statistics on that activity for 2021 showing its automated drones delivered 12,000 food orders to backyards in its North Carolina zone of operation that year – more than any other company in the US, it says. On New Year’s Eve, flights took off an average once every 6.5 minutes.

Sticking to suburbs and smaller towns is also part of Bash’s strategy. Not only are those areas less structurally encumbered for drone flight the way cities are, but the roughly 80 million homes located within them across the US also tend to be underserved compared to dense urban centers. With car drivers able to only reach one or two per farther-flung delivery run, Flytrex is betting faster drone transport can dramatically increase service to clients wanting orders delivered to their doors – or, more accurately, backyards.

In hopping states with its upcoming offer around Dallas-Fort Work, Flytrex will initially work with its North Carolina partner Brinker International, owner of restaurant chains Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy, and virtual brands It’s Just Wings and Maggiano’s Italian Classics. 

“As we continue to drive awareness and grow our virtual brand, It’s Just Wings, we continue to explore and leverage technology and innovation,” said Wade Allen, Brinker International’s senior vice president of innovation. “With a focus on guest experience and convenience – alongside our killer wings – this new outpost in partnership with Flytrex is another exciting step in the right direction.”