DoorDash Earns FAA Part 135 Air Carrier Certification and Launches In-House DoorDash Air Drone Program
Why It MattersA consumer delivery platform now holds the same air carrier status as established operators, widening the group of non-aviation companies that fly cargo drones under FAA oversight.
DoorDash announced on July 29, 2026 that it has earned Part 135 air carrier certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and launched DoorDash Air, a drone delivery program designed and built in-house. Part 135 is the same designation under which UPS and major airlines operate. DoorDash is the eighth operator in the United States cleared for beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone deliveries as an air carrier, joining Wing Aviation, Amazon Prime Air, UPS Flight Forward, Zipline, Causey Aviation Unmanned, DroneUp and Drone Express.
The certification covers companies that carry others' property for payment and requires passing a five-stage FAA review covering aircraft airworthiness, maintenance procedures and safety operations. DoorDash Labs, the robotics and autonomy team that built the company's Dot sidewalk delivery robot, designed and built the DoorDash Air aircraft, with most components sourced domestically. DoorDash continues to work with its existing drone partners Wing and Flytrex.
The company says more than 20% of its orders last year fell in the three-to-five-mile range, and its internal data shows drone deliveries under five miles have averaged under 25 minutes.
The certification is not a launch date: DoorDash still needs additional operational approvals before flying commercially and had not named its first markets as of the announcement. It expects to begin commercial deliveries in fall 2026, starting small, with early flights likely staying within an operator's direct line of sight before expanding to beyond-visual-line-of-sight routes.
