Walgreens to test drone delivery

DEERFIELD - Walgreens announced it will test drone delivery of its products in Christiansburg, Virginia next month.

Walgreens is partnering with Wing Aviation LLC, the first drone operator certified as an air carrier by the Federal Aviation Administration earlier this year, to offer drone delivery service to eligible residents in the Virginia community.

The pilot program will allow Walgreens and Wing to explore feasibility the delivery of health and wellness products through the air. Customers using the Wing app can place orders and have it delivered via drone within minutes, company officials said.

Walgreens is the first U.S. retailer to begin a drone delivery program.

Christiansburg was selected as the test market because Wing has been working with nearby Virginia Tech in Blacksburg to test drone delivery as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Integration Pilot Program since 2016. Walgreens officials say that are in a unique position to capitalize on of drone delivery, since approximately 78 percent of the U.S. population lives within five miles of a Walgreens-owned store.

This is the kind of omnichannel partnership and offering that can redefine convenience for our customers and communities - delivering items to homes in minutes, not hours or days." said Vish Sankaran, chief innovation officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.