Amazon takes flight on drone delivery center in Markham
Amazon cut the ribbon on its new drone delivery center in Markham Tuesday afternoon.
Drone deliveries are set to begin "this fall," according to the company, from the new center at 2201 W. 159th St.
In August, Amazon announced it was expanding its airborne shipping to suburban areas in nearly 500 U.S. cities, including the Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland and Boise, Idaho, metro areas. The drones will primarily fly in the suburbs, away from skyscrapers and major airports that could cause problems, with each drone site serving multiple cities in the area.
The drones can only carry packages up to five pounds, and they face countless challenges between concerns about noise, interference from tree cover and landscaping, and pools, which can make it hard to find a drop-off zone.
Walmart already offers drone delivery at more than 75 stores across Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Texas, though the retailer mainly relies on drivers for deliveries. Walmart said earlier this year that it planned to expand drone delivery service to 150 more stores in partnership with Wing, a division of Google parent company Alphabet, to give it 270 drone delivery locations by 2027.
Contributing: AP
Markham Mayor Roger Agpawa, city officials and Amazon representatives cut the ribbon Tuesday for Prime Air drone demonstrations at Amazon’s IGQ1 fulfillment center in Markham. The launch marks the Chicago-area debut of Prime Air drone delivery, which Amazon says can deliver everyday items in as fast as 30 minutes.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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