Walgreens testing drone delivery in Virginia

The pharmacy chain is teaming up with Wing Aviation LLC — the first drone operator that the Federal Aviation Administration certified as an air carrier earlier this year — to begin offering drone-delivery service to residents of Christiansburg, Va., beginning next month. The companies will use the pilot program to further explore the future of health-and-wellness product and retail delivery through the air, offering product availability and home delivery minutes after placing orders on Wing's smartphone app.

The companies chose Christiansburg  as the test market because Wing has been working closely with nearby Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, since 2016 to test drone delivery as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Integration Pilot Program. Walgreens says its store portfolio positions it uniquely to capitalize on the convenience of drone delivery if and when it should expand, with nearly 80 percent of the U.S. population living within five miles of a Walgreens-owned store.

Eligible customers in the Christiansburg area will have access to roughly 100 products and six convenient “packs” through the Wing app, including many of Walgreens' most sought-after products in-store. Customers can choose the individual products they need or, for simplicity’s sake, select one of the prebuilt packs in the following categories: allergy, pain, cough/cold, first aid, baby, and children's snacks. Prescription deliveries are not available through this service. The drone-delivery option suits those instances in which customers want health-and-wellness or food-and-beverage items immediately but  leaving home is not possible or practical.

Over the coming weeks, Wing and Walgreens will be reaching out to Christiansburg residents to provide additional information about the new offering. The companies will also sponsor a drone-delivery demonstration for the community later this month.