After years of testing, trial runs, and tinkering with logistics, Walmart has formally launched its latest drone delivery service in Texas’ Dallas-Fort Worth area — this time in partnership with Zipline, the world’s largest autonomous drone delivery service.
The retailer kicked off the operation on April 8 from its Supercenter at 200 US-80 in Mesquite, offering free 30-minute delivery to residents within a roughly 2-mile radius.
This marks the first official launch of Zipline-powered deliveries in the DFW metroplex and signals a new phase in Walmart’s mission to bring fast, futuristic convenience to doorsteps across America.
“We are thrilled that our customers will now have access to this exclusive service,” says Jason Kelley, Walmart’s Mesquite store manager. “Zipline delivery will offer these families yet another way our store is helping them save money and live better.”
This isn’t Walmart’s first rodeo in the drone delivery game. Since 2021, the retailer has quietly been working with Zipline to test and deliver thousands of products using its autonomous aircraft. But while much of that early work happened outside major metro areas, this launch brings the service to the urban core of North Texas — and with it, a bigger spotlight.
Zipline’s aircraft system, dubbed the “Platform 2,” is anything but ordinary. Once a customer places an order, the items are loaded into a Delivery Zip. The drone lifts off to 300 feet, travels to the drop-off location, and then — like something out of a sci-fi film — lowers the package to the ground using a tether while hovering in place. Users have described the experience as “quiet,” “gentle,” and even “magical.”
“We’ve already become part of people’s daily routines,” says Conner Wilkinson, head of community engagement at Zipline. “Busy parents, older adults — anyone who doesn’t want to spend time running errands — are loving it.”
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This launch comes after Walmart’s rocky road with drone delivery partners. Its initial partnership with DroneUp resulted in test flights at dozens of locations, but eventually fizzled amid concerns over cost-efficiency and consumer adoption. Walmart ended that collaboration earlier this year, shifting focus to more scalable and seamless operations — like Zipline’s system, which has already racked up nearly 1.5 million deliveries and over 100 million autonomous commercial miles globally.
Walmart now has plans to reach up to 75% of the DFW area with drone delivery, betting that densely populated regions, combined with Zipline’s precision technology, will finally make on-demand sky shipping a thing of the present — not just a vision of the future.
Walmart drone delivery: How to get it
More than 65,000 items are available through the service, including grocery staples, last-minute dinner ingredients, diapers, birthday candles, and more. Delivery hours run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.
To check eligibility or join the waitlist, customers can download the Zipline app or visit flyzipline.com/texas. Zipline will also host a community event on April 12 from 12–3 p.m. at the Mesquite Walmart, where locals can learn more, ask questions, and see the drones up close.
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