DoorDash Says It Received FAA Part 135 Air Carrier Certification, Enabling It to Operate Its Own Delivery Drones

DoorDash said it has received Federal Aviation Administration Part 135 air carrier certification, a federal approval that would let the company operate delivery drone flights through an air carrier authorization category that is typically used by commercial aviation operators. The company made the announcement in a July 29 posting, according to Zero Hedge, stating it received the certification via American Greatness, an entity described in the report as connected to DoorDash’s drone program.

Zero Hedge reported that the approval is tied to FAA Part 135, which covers certain commercial air carrier operations under rules that require operator authorization and oversight. In the report, DoorDash’s effort is framed as moving beyond having drivers or using contracted delivery models, toward putting delivery drones into the company’s control for at least some routing and delivery tasks.

The practical change described in the report is that DoorDash would be able to fly its own delivery drones rather than only dispatch packages through ground drivers or through arrangements that might involve other federally authorized operators. The announcement, as characterized by Zero Hedge, positions the company to treat drones as an operating capability under a regulated aviation construct.

Zero Hedge did not provide additional details in its summary about the specific geographic launch locations, the fleet types, the operational routes, or the timeline for scaling deliveries after certification. The article also did not include the FAA approval number, the exact date of the certificate issuance, or the specific terms of the Part 135 authorization, which are details that typically appear in the relevant FAA operator records.

Because the FAA certification claim in this write-up is based on the company announcement as relayed by Zero Hedge, readers may need to confirm the exact certificate details through FAA or company documentation before treating the authorization as fully implemented in every market. In FAA-related aviation matters, the difference between having an authorization and beginning scaled, public-facing operations can depend on additional compliance steps, flight approvals, and operational readiness.

If DoorDash begins operating under this framework as described, the change would place drone delivery under an air carrier regulatory posture that includes obligations for pilot or remote operator training (as applicable), maintenance and operational control requirements, and FAA oversight mechanisms. Those requirements can affect how quickly services roll out and what safety or compliance constraints shape delivery models.

Regulatory acceptance in the Part 135 category could also affect public conversations about accountability for drone operations, including who holds responsibility for compliance with flight rules and operational procedures. However, details such as which specific operations are covered, where flights occur, and what integration looks like with delivery partners are not spelled out in the available summary and would require additional documentation.