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By Steve Mollman
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DoorDash's latest push into drone delivery could change more than how food reaches customers. It may also create demand for workers with aviation, robotics and technical expertise that has not traditionally been associated with food delivery.
The company announced this week that it had received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 135 air carrier certification and was launching DoorDash Air, an in-house drone delivery program developed by DoorDash Labs, its robotics and autonomy division. The certification makes DoorDash the eighth operator approved for drone package-delivery operations in the United States.
But despite the milestone, the FAA told Newsweek that DoorDash has not yet begun deliveries.
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"The FAA issued an air carrier certificate authorizing DD Holdings A, LLC (DoorDash) to conduct operations under Part 135, allowing the company to perform daytime drone delivery operations," an FAA spokesperson said.
The agency added that DoorDash "has not started those operations yet" and that before deliveries can begin, the FAA must review and approve the company's aircraft and proposed operations, including any required certification, testing and validation.
DoorDash told Newsweek that it has already satisfied the requirements associated with obtaining its Part 135 certification and is authorized to operate. The company said it has not yet begun deliveries because of its own launch timeline. DoorDash has not publicly announced when it expects to begin operating its own drones.
While much of the discussion surrounding delivery drones has focused on whether automation could eventually reduce demand for human couriers, another question is emerging: whether the growth of drone delivery will create demand for workers with aviation, robotics and technical skills that have not traditionally been associated with food delivery.
DoorDash rejected the idea that drone delivery will reduce demand for Dashers. In a statement to Newsweek, the company said it expects deliveries made by Dashers, drones and sidewalk robots to grow as overall demand for delivery increases.
"This is about expanding the pie, not slicing it differently," DoorDash said, adding that its core business is growing more than 20 percent year over year and that the platform is expanding into categories including electronics, groceries and cosmetics.
DoorDash Is Becoming More Than a Delivery App
DoorDash has experimented with drone delivery through partners including Wing and Flytrex, offering the service in select markets in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia. But DoorDash Air represents a major strategic shift because the company is now building its own aircraft, operational systems and drone-delivery infrastructure rather than relying solely on outside providers.
DoorDash executives say the company is building a full logistics ecosystem that includes aircraft, routing systems, inventory tools, merchant handoff infrastructure and software designed to determine whether an order is best fulfilled by a drone, robot or human driver.
According to DoorDash, more than 20 percent of orders on its platform in 2025 traveled between three and five miles. The company says those deliveries took nearly 25 percent longer than shorter trips, making them a potential target for drone delivery.
DoorDash said drones are intended for specific use cases and cannot handle many of the tasks Dashers currently perform, such as navigating apartment complexes, checking IDs for alcohol deliveries or completing complex multistop orders.
If successful, the strategy would put DoorDash in a position rarely occupied by a food-delivery company: operating both a consumer marketplace and an FAA-regulated drone network.
Drone Delivery Could Create Demand for New Skills
DoorDash's announcement suggests that some of the jobs supporting delivery networks may look very different from today's gig-economy model.
DoorDash is hiring across robotics, autonomy, hardware and operations as it develops DoorDash Air. The company did not provide an estimate for how many jobs the program could create but said it is actively hiring for the DoorDash Air team. DoorDash also said its drone is American-designed and built, with the majority of components made in the United States.
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Unlike traditional delivery jobs, commercial drone networks require workers who can manage aircraft operations, maintenance, fleet monitoring, safety oversight and regulatory compliance. The FAA notes that drone package-delivery operations are conducted under Part 135 authority and involve agency oversight of safety and operational requirements, creating demand for expertise that has not traditionally been associated with food delivery.
Supporters of automation often argue that new technologies do not simply eliminate jobs but transform them, creating demand for different skills. DoorDash has emphasized the role drones could play alongside human drivers rather than as a wholesale replacement for them.
Asked whether Dashers would have opportunities to transition into drone-related roles or receive training for those positions, DoorDash said it would have more to share as operations develop.
What Happens to Human Drivers?
DoorDash has said Dashers will remain an important part of its network.
According to the company, human couriers will continue handling the majority of deliveries, especially larger orders and deliveries that autonomous systems cannot easily complete. DoorDash told Newsweek that Dashers will remain "the core part of our platform," completing the vast majority of deliveries even as drone operations expand.
The company argues that routing some three-to-five-mile deliveries to drones could allow Dashers to focus on shorter trips and move more efficiently between orders.
DoorDash said Dashers often favor shorter, faster routes near dense merchant areas where they can quickly handle multiple orders and continue earning. The company said routing longer midrange orders to drones could help those orders reach customers faster while allowing Dashers to remain focused on shorter offers.
DoorDash has not announced any workforce reductions related to DoorDash Air and has not provided estimates regarding how many deliveries drones could eventually perform relative to human couriers. The company said it would not provide specific metrics on what share of deliveries could eventually be handled by drones and said it could not speculate on future business performance.
DoorDash also pointed to its experience with Dot, its autonomous sidewalk-delivery robot. The company said that in Arizona markets where it has tested autonomous deliveries with Dot, it has not seen an impact on Dasher pay.
DoorDash said some merchants participating in earlier partner drone-delivery pilots saw order volume grow by around 30 percent in the weeks after launch, arguing that making the platform more efficient can unlock more demand and create more opportunities for Dashers rather than fewer.
The debate, however, mirrors broader questions facing industries across the economy as automation expands. Supporters argue new technologies create new opportunities and more specialized jobs, while critics warn that some traditional roles may decline over time.
For now, DoorDash appears to be positioning drones as another delivery option within a broader network that already includes Dashers and third-party drone providers.
The Seven Companies That Got FAA Approval Before DoorDash
The FAA told Newsweek that DoorDash is the eighth operator approved for drone package-delivery operations under Part 135.
According to the agency, the seven operators that received approval before DoorDash are:
- Wing Aviation
- UPS Flight Forward
- Amazon Prime Air
- Zipline International
- Causey Aviation Unmanned
- DroneUp
- Drone Express (DEXA)
The approvals stretch back to 2019, when Wing and UPS Flight Forward became early pioneers of commercial drone delivery in the United States. Amazon Prime Air later became the first company authorized to operate delivery drones weighing more than 55 pounds under the certification, while Zipline became the first fixed-wing operator to complete air carrier certification through the FAA's BEYOND program.
DoorDash's approval is notable because, unlike most of the companies on that list, it built its business as a food-delivery marketplace rather than a drone or aviation company. The certification also positions DoorDash to operate part of the delivery infrastructure itself rather than relying entirely on third-party providers.
Other Countries Are Already Further Along
DoorDash's certification comes as commercial drone delivery expands in several countries around the world.
China, in particular, has emerged as one of the most advanced drone-delivery markets. Food-delivery giant Meituan launched commercial drone deliveries in Shenzhen in 2021 and has since expanded operations across multiple cities. Chinese regulators have developed frameworks for managing low-altitude drone traffic as part of a broader national push into what policymakers call the "low-altitude economy."
Meituan has also expanded internationally, obtaining authorization for drone-delivery operations in Dubai.
Australia has also been a significant testing ground for drone delivery through Wing's operations, including partnerships with DoorDash.
The international landscape highlights how quickly the sector is evolving. While DoorDash is only now preparing to launch its own FAA-approved operation, companies in other countries have already spent years integrating autonomous aircraft into delivery networks. In other words, DoorDash is entering a market that competitors abroad have already been developing for years.
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A Different Future for Delivery Work
The FAA's comments also highlight that launching a drone-delivery business requires more than developing an aircraft.
Before DoorDash can begin commercial operations, regulators must approve the aircraft itself and validate the company's proposed operations. That process involves safety reviews, testing and ongoing oversight that do not exist in traditional app-based food delivery.
As delivery companies invest in drones and autonomous systems, some workers may need skills related to aviation, robotics and operations management rather than traditional on-demand delivery work.
Whether those new roles ultimately supplement existing delivery work or reduce demand for some deliveries currently handled by Dashers remains unclear. DoorDash argues the technology will expand overall delivery capacity and create more opportunities rather than reduce demand for Dashers, while critics of automation have long questioned whether technological efficiencies eventually lead to fewer opportunities for some workers.
And while the United States is still building out that framework, developments in countries such as China suggest drone delivery is likely to become a larger part of the global logistics industry in the years ahead.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Kate Nalepinski and Robert Greenall
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