Drone deliveries are advancing, according to Flytrex Inc. The Tel Aviv, Israel-based company today released its 2022 Yardstick report detailing customer trends across its drone delivery service in North Carolina and Texas.
The Yardstick is based on 2022 data from Flytrex’s operations and highlights its achievements, from volume and types of items delivered to fastest time from order to delivery. With a rapidly growing list of national restaurant and retail chain partners, Flytrex claimed that it has increased its customer base sevenfold year over year and completed tens of thousands of deliveries last year.
“The drone delivery industry as a whole has progressed immensely over the past year, and this snapshot is a testament to its soaring future,” stated Yariv Bash, co-founder and CEO of Flytrex.
“We strive to provide the utmost convenience and satisfaction to everyone who uses our service, and we’re thrilled to see that our customers are as delighted and excited about drone delivery as we are,” he said. “Building on this momentum, we look forward to expanding our service and eventually providing the same level of quality practicality across suburban America.”
The 2022 Yardstick’s release followed a year of significant expansion and growth, said Flytrex. In March 2022, the company expanded its service from the “First in Flight” state of North Carolina to Granbury, Texas, just outside of Dallas-Fort Worth.
In July 2022, Flytrex opened its fifth operational station, launching in Durham, N.C., alongside established stations in Fayetteville, Raeford, and Holly Springs. The company said it serves over 140,000 eligible customers across suburban America, delivering food and retail goods from dozens of partnering restaurant chains and retailers.
Flytrex listed the following highlights in “ultrafast” drone delivery:
The company also shared the following details on customer demand:
The 2022 Yardstick is available here.
Since launching what it said was “the world’s first fully autonomous urban drone delivery system” in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2017, Flytrex has worked closely with regulators on safety standards. The company participated in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP), which concluded in October 2020.
It has also participated in the FAA’s subsequent BEYOND initiative, working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to tackle the remaining challenges of UAS integration. Flytrex said this will help bring “swift, affordable, and sustainable on-demand drone delivery to more partners, communities, and consumers across the country.”
In January 2023, the FAA granted longtime Flytrex partner Causey Aviation Unmanned Standard Part 135 Air Carrier Certification, allowing it to operate and complete long-range on-demand commercial drone deliveries in the U.S.
Flytrex said its drone delivery service offers fast, safe, and cost-effective airborne deliveries directly to customers' yards. The company claimed that it operates the largest backyard drone delivery service in the U.S., with daily operations.