Business soaring for delivery drones during COVID-19 pandemic

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Often out of crisis comes opportunity.

Drone delivery is up amid the coronavirus pandemic and for one Virginia company that means business is booming.

Wing, a subsidiary of Google’s Alphabet company that assists small businesses, says it’s ramping up its drone deliveries during the COVID-19 stay at home orders.

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Wing’s drone delivery site is in Christiansburg — that’s about four hours away from D.C. in Southwest Virginia.

The company began in October. Business was good but nothing like now.

Wing’s Jacob Demmitt says right now Wing is delivering food and household items to addresses within a three-mile radius of its Christiansburg base. Their drones are being used by Walgreens, as well as a local bakery and local coffee shop.

Since COVID-19 fueled strict social distancing and "stay at home" orders, Demmitt says people are turning to drone delivery to get bare necessities.

Demmitt says their team has made more than 1,000 deliveries in the last two weeks — dropping off medication, food and more.

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Ultimately helping flatten the curve and limit human to human contact.

Virginia is Wing’s only U.S. drone delivery site. Most of the items are ordered from popular pharmacies and stores.

Right now, there’s no extra charge for the drone service.

The most popular items being ordered for drone delivery? Cookies, coffee and toilet tissue.