Wing returns to its US drone delivery home in DoorDash partnership

Drone delivery company Wing is coming full circle as it imports its promising partnership with DoorDash from its booming Australian market back to the US town where it first began aerial transport services.

Google corporate cousin Wing said it will be providing drone deliveries in Christiansburg, Virginia for DoorDash customers preferring it to ground transportation. The town of nearly 23,000 people was where Wing first launched its commercial services in 2019. The company has remained active there despite striking out in new US territories, as well as abroad since.

Top among those foreign markets has been Australia, where the company has developed and expanded robust UAV transport networks – including in the gung-ho town of Logan, which Wing has dubbed the “drone delivery capital of the world.”

In one of its biggest partnerships down under to date, Wing struck a partnership with DoorDash, whose success inspired a replication of that hook-up in Christiansburg.

Initially, that will involve Wing airlifting DoorDash orders from fast food chain Wendy’s for customers preferring the rapid, non-polluting option of drone delivery.

“Wing’s drones are a fast and effective option for getting smaller items quickly, ensuring your DoorDash order arrives in as little as 30 minutes,” wrote Wing head of partnerships and product, Cosimo Leipold, in a blog post announcing the Aussie partnership arriving in Christiansburg—noting the company’s fastest-ever delivery clocked in at under three minutes. 

“Our drones travel around 65 mph, then hover and gently lower your order right outside your doorstep using a tether,” Leipold continued. “Our streamlined delivery process is a game-changer because it’s not just about speed – it’s about satisfying your cravings and last-minute needs without adding stress to your day or putting more vehicles on the road.”

It’s also about expanding the number of markets, retailing partners, and potential households covered by Wing drones – just the kind of growth the company secured last year. In August it launched its first services in Ireland – transporting medical payloads to client homes in Dublin. 

Then, in December, it obtained open-ended Federal Aviation Administration authorization to operate beyond visual line of sight flights without ground observers – considered a requisite for true scaling of drone delivery services. Only a month later, Wing was tapped by Walmart to help it cover the entire Dallas-Ft. Worth area for drone deliveries.

In pure numerical terms, its partnership with Door Dash in Christiansburg may seem small by comparison to that. But it’s a start that could also wind up expanding to far bigger markets in the US over time. Awaiting that, there’s only one place a company can take pleasure returning home to.