The last mile —the final stretch of the logistics chain to reach the customer’s door— remains the most expensive, complex, and polluting part of the supply chain. And as e-commerce continues to grow, consumers are demanding faster, greener, and more affordable deliveries.
Drones could be part of the solution to this challenge. And yes, we’re getting closer to seeing them in action, flying over our cities.

Amazon leads the last mile from the sky
Amazon Prime Air is already making aerial deliveries on a pilot basis in the U.S. cities of College Station (Texas) and Tolleson (Arizona). In March, the head of the service, David Carbon, celebrated on LinkedIn a record-breaking delivery time of just 31 minutes and 30 seconds.
According to CNBC, some residents complain about the high noise levels —comparing it to chainsaws or a swarm of bees— but demand is very high, and everything suggests that the new generations of these flying vehicles will be much quieter.
In Europe, the UK and Italy are the countries where Amazon plans to launch its drone-based last-mile logistics, still pending the necessary permits.

And in Spain, when will we see home deliveries being automated?
In 2021, a pilot test was already carried out in Villaverde Bajo (Madrid): drones delivered food and packages using rooftops as drop-off points.
And although this isn’t last-mile in the strictest sense, there have been other interesting developments in recent months. Grupo Tragsa tested drones in Cuenca capable of transporting loads of up to 30 kilos at construction sites. And in the Vall d’Aran, the Conselh Generau launched a pilot to deliver livestock supplies and rural equipment with drones carrying up to 100 kilos.

Obstacles ahead
Despite progress, large-scale adoption still faces several barriers:

• Regulation: rules for autonomous and BVLOS flights are still under development in many countries. In Spain, Royal Decree 517/2024 simplifies drone operations and designates ENAIRE as the common information provider for U-space airspace (reserved for automated drone operations).
  • Operational costs: initial investment in infrastructure and technology is high.
  • Technical limitations: flight range, load capacity, and weather conditions impact feasibility.
  • Social acceptance: concerns among residents about privacy, safety, and noise.

Even so, the projections are compelling: according to a recent Deloitte study, drones could reduce the cost per package from $60 to $4 and use up to 94% less energy than traditional methods.