It has been a long time since food delivery applications are in the market and now every entrepreneur is looking for innovation to leave behind its competitors. The leading on-demand app development company are designing new features and functionalities to keep the users engaging but users expectations are increasing at a rapid pace. In the current situation, faster and more efficient delivery still has a huge room for improvement. The riders often get confused in finding the exact location of delivery and customers don’t wish to repetitively give the directions. That’s where a possible solution of “delivery through air” comes up.

Yes, it is possible. Online food delivery through drones is not a nascent stage concept but there are several companies working on it. No matter how complex the route is, whether the place is secluded or there are multiple halts, this solid delivery system will ensure the last mile deliveries on time.

Drone delivery systems will not only accelerate the delivery process but also solve the common issues that arise from users and delivery riders. You can consult with a food delivery app development company about its feasibility, process, and cost of implementation.

In this article, we will go through the top food delivery apps working on the drone delivery model.

What are Drone Food Delivery Apps?

As the name clearly indicates, these apps deliver food by utilizing drones for commutes. Thus, these apps give instant and on-demand food deliveries to customer’s doorstep. However, as an app owner, you will require approval from the aviation administration of your respective country.

The drone delivery apps manage the entire process of order to the final delivery to the end customer. The delivery businesses pass the policies under the government authorities.

Currently, the government has approved more than 14 businesses to begin their trials on drone food delivery. Some of the popular names are Swiggy, Zomato, Dominos, Dunzo, and GrubHub.

Market Insights of Drone Food Delivery Apps

It is no surprise that the drone food delivery market is growing at a rapid pace. The market for delivery drones was estimated to be worth USD 530.2 million in 2022 and is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42.6% from 2023 to 2030, reaching USD 10,478.6 million. The requirement for sustainable low-carbon emissions, the increased demand for same-day and speedier delivery, and developments in drone technology are some of the drivers propelling the market’s growth.

Top Food Delivery Businesses Working on Drone Delivery

I. Major Food Delivery Platforms (Partnering with Drone Companies)

DoorDash:

DoorDash has partnered with Wing, a drone delivery subsidiary of Alphabet to facilitate drone delivery for its customers. The company has already launched drone delivery in the US with its pilot program with Wendy’s and is increasing its horizon to other restaurants and retailers. It includes the integration of drone delivery into the DoorDash app so that customers can order eligible items for drone delivery.

Uber Eats:

Uber Eats is aggressively researching and testing drone delivery as a way to broaden its delivery options and potentially provide speedier service. They are not directly delivering to customers with drones, but rather transporting food to a designated drop-off location where an Uber Eats vehicle will complete the delivery. Uber created a technology called Elevate Cloud Systems to regulate airspace and direct drones.

Walmart:

Currently, Walmart offers drone delivery services to a particular cohort of customers along with members of Walmart in some selected markets. Customers can use the Walmart app and select drone delivery for orders. However, drone delivery is available within only six miles of an eligible drone delivery store. Another limitation is that it is for a combination of selected items with a total combined weight range of 2.4 to 10 pounds. Further, it depends on the capabilities of drone delivery and regulatory approvals.

Drone delivery availability is generally based on a customer’s delivery address, local weather conditions, feasibility, and each drone delivery vendor’s terms of service. Deliveries take up to 30 minutes to arrive.

Zomato:

Zomato is a popular food delivery app in India. It has been working for the last few years on testing and developing drone technology for food delivery in India. The company has successfully tested drone flights. The aim is for minimum delivery time, especially in congested areas. A few years ago, it acquired a drone-making startup, TechEagle. However, the partnership has ended and now Zomato is focusing on building its own in-house drone capabilities. The vision of the company is to reach a delivery time of 15 minutes from the current average of 30.5 minutes. If you want to build an app like Zomato, consult with a food delivery app development company. They will understand your requirements and provide you with a fully-functioning app.

Swiggy:

The closest rival of Zomato i.e. Swiggy is also leaving no stone unturned to provide food delivery services through drones. It has selected four drone startups to pilot its grocery delivery project in Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR region. The four startups are Garuda Aerospace, Skyeair Mobility, ANRA+TechEagle Consortia, and Marut Dronetech.

The pilot project will assess the viability of using drones in Swiggy’s grocery delivery service Instamart. Drones will help in managing inventory between seller-run dark stores and a “common customer point”.

Leading Drone Delivery Technology Companies:

Wing:

Wing is an Alphabet-owned company which has a huge reputation in drone delivery. It provides delivery services using automated drones to deliver small packages directly to homes. Thus, it is much faster and more convenient than traditional delivery systems. The delivery is completed in minutes. Wing leverages lightweight electric drones that are able to take off and land vertically. These drones are capable of carrying small packages including groceries, medicines, and other essential items. The drones can navigate autonomously to the delivery location using GPS and obstacle avoidance systems.

Flytrex:

Flytrex has gained a good reputation for providing autonomous drone delivery services. The company mainly provides food and other retail items through drone services. There are restaurants and retailers partnered with Flytrex to provide the supplies to customers’ homes. The drone delivery currently works in a 2.5 miles radius. Flytrex’s system includes both the drones as well as the cloud that manages flight operations.

The drones are completely autonomous i.e. they can navigate and deliver packages with no human control. It is possible through the cloud platform of the company that handles various aspects of drone operations such as flight planning, monitoring, and communication.

Zipline:

Zipline drone delivery is a service that transports products, mostly medical supplies but also other items. It works from distribution facilities to designated areas using self-governing, electric drones. Platform 1 is used for longer-range and parachutist-assisted mid-air drops, while Platform 2 is used for shorter, more accurate deliveries using a tethered droid that can fall from the drone.

Manna Drone Delivery:

This is an Ireland-based company. With more than 150,000 successful delivery flights in Europe, the company has gained a huge reputation in the European market. Also, it has the highest regulatory approvals vis-a-vis any drone delivery company in Europe.

The company is highly focused on efficiency, sustainability, and safety. The average delivery time is just 3 minutes, which is extremely attractive to customers. Manna’s drone-based delivery model not only eliminates traffic congestion but also promotes sustainability with zero-emission flights contributing to a cleaner, and greener future.

DroneUp:

This drone-based company is helping companies leverage drone technology and is transforming operations of border security, emergency responses, logistics, and infrastructure monitoring. In the near future, we may expect its working operations to expand in the food-delivery industry as well.

Skye Air Mobility:

The Skye Air company leverages the Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system in its drone delivery services and completes the delivery within just 7 minutes. The UTM system helps in safe and reliable navigation through the airspace. It is a highly advanced system in drone technology, enabling safe, precise, and efficient operations at scale.

There are many Indian companies in e-commerce, D2C, quick commerce, and other food sectors who are trusting Skye Air for their delivery operations.

TSAW Drones (India):

Founded in 2019, TSAW Drones is a Delhi-based startup that is leveraging autonomous drone technology to tackle logistics and agricultural changes. The company offers on-demand parcel delivery for sectors like healthcare, e-commerce, and quick commerce, with an emphasis on transporting medical supplies, food, and other goods.

Challenges and Future Outlook

Drone delivery has a huge potential to transform the delivery mechanism of goods. However, despite offering so many benefits, there are certain challenges that can’t be underscored and should be overcome to make it a reliable and safe mode of delivery.

Air Traffic:

The foremost challenge is air traffic control. Though we are not seeing the sky with drones, when this technology becomes fully feasible, the increasing number of drones in the skies will pose a huge risk to manned aircraft. Thus, there is a need for effective air traffic management systems for the prevention of collisions.

Battery Life:

Drones are powered by batteries which have limited working capacity. This can restrict the usability of drones to a great extent. Improvements in battery technology are essential for improving the range and flight time of drones.

Weather:

Weather is another important factor that restricts the working of drones. Wind, rain, and fog can impact the working drones to operate safely. Thus, there is a need for weather-resistant drones and advanced weather forecasting systems to overcome this challenge.

Theft and Privacy:

Last but not least, theft and privacy are also major concerns. Drones can be tempting targets for criminals, and privacy problems arise when drones are used for surveillance or other purposes. Strong cybersecurity safeguards and privacy restrictions are required to address these concerns and maintain public trust in drone delivery.

Though the challenges may seem daunting, there are a plethora of ways to overcome these challenges. The tech advancements will help drone systems to become a safe, reliable, and efficient mode of delivery.

Wrapping Up

In this article, we have gone through all the major companies which are utilizing drone delivery systems for food delivery services. We are an on demand app development company that can help you develop food delivery apps utilizing drone services.

At A3Logics, we have a vast team of developers, designers, QA experts, and others who can help you develop a fully-functioning food delivery app from scratch. We aim to build apps with advanced features and functionalities to excel in the market and leave behind competitors. Let us know your requirements.