Drone-Based Pizza Delivery Service Arrives!…in New Zealand

While it’s certainly a happy note to hear that drone-based food delivery is finally getting started, it’s hard not to be at least a little jealous that it’s New Zealand that’s getting the real first crack at it.

Three months of trials and demonstrations in the country have led to the Auckland branch of Domino’s Pizza able to use drone delivery systems to bring pizza.

The historic pies in question, one chicken and cranberry and one peri-peri chicken—which appears to be a kind of spicy pepper mix—took about two to three minutes to go from the Domino’s in question to the target delivery point, a journey that would have taken at least twice that, reports suggest, by motorcycle.

Carrying out the delivery was Flirtey, a company that had previously been seen engaging in drone delivery of 7-11 merchandise back in Reno last July.

While it’s a shame that foreign countries are getting drone-based food delivery before the United States, this may be more helpful than first expected. If Domino’s can demonstrate effective, safe food delivery, it may well establish the necessary precedent to prove unequivocally that such a practice is worth bringing into place everywhere else.

Good news for everyone else, especially if—as some project will be the case—a Trump presidency means fewer regulations and less government interference in matters as simple as using drone aircraft to deliver food.

This could have an immediate multiplier effect for several businesses; while businesses will likely need to purchase or expand current insurance purposes to cover the drones and potential damage they might do, it would also ratchet up a business’ ability to serve customers, expanding customer operations to reach people who may not drive 30 miles for food, but are willing to have it flown in from that range.

The day may well soon come where tailgaters, beachgoers, and just about anyone else can have any kind of meal delivered just about anywhere with a few touchscreen button presses. Hopefully, Auckland’s trailblazing program will make it clear that this is safe technology ready to be put into wide use, and the FAA will get out of its own way and let this happen here.