Amazon has put a new twist on airmail deliveries, and one of the company's Arizona facilities is leading the way.

The giant retailer has been dropping off small packages by drone from its Tolleson order-fulfillment center since November, in some cases for free. That means Amazon, for the first time, is now offering such deliveries to customers during its annual Prime Day shopping promotion this week (which actually extends four days from July 8 through July 11).

The Tolleson facility is the only order-fulfillment center in Amazon’s vast network from which deliveries are available in this manner — the early stages of what promises to be an exponentially expanding trend.

While Amazon hasn’t disclosed how many packages have been shipped through the air so far, the company estimates it will have made around 500 million cumulative global deliveries using drones by the end of the decade.

Drone shipments are free for Prime customers on orders of at least $50. Prime customers can receive less-expensive orders for $4.99 per delivery. Nonprime customers can order by drone for $9.99 per delivery.

All packages delivered in this manner must weigh less than five pounds and fit in cardboard containers roughly the size of a shoebox. For now, Amazon has 14 of the 80-pound, self-guided flying machines in its fleet.

Drone deliveries typically are made in less than an hour, representing Amazon's fastest service. They're becoming popular among customers seeking quick deliveries of items such as cell phones, women's cosmetics and last-minute gifts or party decorations.

Drones are still a novelty for most people. “But for a customer on the other end who needs (Infants') Tylenol quickly, it’s essential,” said Zoe Richmond, an Amazon spokesperson.

The service is currently available to Amazon customers living within a seven-mile radius of the Tolleson fulfillment center on Van Buren Street near 99^th Avenue. Amazon is also testing drones with a limited array of merchandise from a site in Texas. The Tolleson facility stocks 60,000 items, available by drone, that meet the size and weight specifications. A delivery can include multiple small items that together meet the weight and size requirements.

The service operates a bit like a tiny airport but without the runways or security lines.

After a drone drops off a parcel, Amazon workers slap on a newly charged, reusable electric battery, load the package, then send the machine on its way, though a vertical liftoff.

“The full cycle takes about 15 minutes,” send Wesley Twitchell, an Amazon flight-monitoring employee. That means a drone could make a couple dozen trips throughout the day, with flights conducted and deliveries made during daylight hours. He and others track drone flights on computer screens.

The machines fly at altitudes of roughly 150 to 350 feet, with flight itineraries and other details coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration and local airports.

Ismael Betancourt readies a drone for package delivery on the launch pad at Amazon's fulfillment center in Tolleson, Arizona, on July 9, 2025.

Amazon intends to expand its drone fleet, making them available in more locations, as a complement to parcels shipped and dropped off by van or other ground vehicles.

“They're in nicely padded boxes,” said Zoe Richmond, an Amazon spokeswoman, reassuredly. “Your phone will be safe.”

The drones make deliveries only when they sense conditions are safe, so that they don’t drop a parcel on someone’s small dog or into the pool. They use artificial intelligence to detect and avoid hazards and obstacles. They sometimes return to home base, without having made a delivery, if they sense a problem.

But Amazon representatives insist drone deliveries are not only fast and reliable but safe, too.

“We never hit anything in the air,” said Jared Podbielski, an Amazon flight-operations coordinator in Tolleson.

Amazon intends to expand its drone fleet, making them available in more locations, as a complement to parcels shipped and dropped off by van or other ground vehicles.

With 36,000 Arizona workers, Amazon ranks as Arizona’s third-largest nongovernmental employer, behind Banner Health and Walmart.

Podbielski calls drones one of the latest in a long line of transportation advancements, some of which initially were met with skepticism and trepidation, as when automobiles began to venture onto roadways dominated by horses and wagons.

“As we fly more drones, people will become more comfortable with them,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Amazon is delivering some Prime Day deals in AZ by drone. See how it's done