Texas AI Docket

FAA takes comment until October 11th on letting Zipline fly drone deliveries around the clock over five Texas metros

Defense and federalFederal Aviation AdministrationArmstrong, Atascosa, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Bla...Comment window open

14days left to commentCloses October 11th

The Federal Aviation Administration has published a draft environmental assessment of Zipline International's request to begin commercial drone package delivery in Amarillo, Austin, El Paso, Houston and San Antonio. Approving the change to the company's air carrier operating approvals is the federal action under review. The draft assesses up to 220 chargers, 4,400 pickup dropboxes and 220,000 deliveries a day across the five areas, flown around the clock at about 330 feet above the ground. Routes are generated by software. At each stop a pod lowers on a line and evaluates the drop spot automatically. When the pod can't identify the target and judge the spot itself, an image is sent to an operator. The draft finds no significant noise impact. Comments are open until October 11th, 2026.

How to take part

Anyone can comment on the draft by email until October 11th, 2026, naming the Zipline Texas Draft EA in the subject line. The address is on the agency's drone environmental review page. Written comments can also go by mail to the agency's environmental office in Washington. The draft and its noise study are posted on the agency's drone environmental review page, and every substantive comment is to be answered in the final assessment.

Where to do it

Where

40 counties. In Amarillo, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Bay City, Brenham, College Station-Bryan, El Campo, El Paso, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, Huntsville, Kerrville, San Antonio-New Braunfels. Also in Blanco, Burnet, Colorado, Grimes, which are in no metropolitan or micropolitan area.

Timeline

  1. comment opens

    Draft environmental assessment made available for public review

  2. Today
  3. comment closes

    Public comment period on the draft closes

    14 days out

How this decision moved

One dated line per check, oldest first. A line that says nothing changed means somebody looked and it had not.

  1. 2026-09-24

    Admitted on the agency's own draft and its own review page, with the comment window open. The draft was prepared by the applicant under the agency's supervision, and the operating approvals it assesses have not been granted.

  2. 2026-09-27

    The agency's draft assessment and review page still stand as published. The comment window is still open until October 11th.

The evidence

Every fact above rests on one of these. The words are the source's own.

Zipline International Inc. (Zipline) is seeking FAA approval to begin commercial package delivery operations in five Texas metropolitan areas: Amarillo, Austin, El Paso, Houston, and San Antonio.
FAA, Public Involvement and Environmental Review for Drone Operations Primary source, official · faa.gov
Please review the Draft EA and submit your comments by October 11, 2026.
FAA, Public Involvement and Environmental Review for Drone Operations Primary source, official · faa.gov
The Draft EA will be available for a 30-day public review beginning on Friday, September 11, 2026.
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
Comments on the Draft EA may be submitted electronically
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
All substantive comments received will be responded to in the final EA.
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
Houston 9,932 65 1,300 65,000 195,000 San Antonio 3,326 65 1,300 65,000 195,000 Austin 2,498 30 600 30,000 90,000 Amarillo 1,199 30 600 30,000 90,000 El Paso 629 30 600 30,000 90,000 Total 17,584 220 4,400 220,000 660,000
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
Zipline is proposing to conduct operations 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, including holidays
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
Zipline UAs would generally be operated at an altitude of 330 feet above ground level (AGL) while en route to and from Charger, Dropbox, and delivery locations.
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
The Zipline UA is a highly automated, electrically powered vertical takeoff and landing aircraft capable of hover and forward flight
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
Routes are generated by software that takes into consideration factors including weather risk, wind direction, and population density.
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
If the pod is unable to automatically identify the delivery target and evaluate its suitability, an image is sent to an operator for real-time evaluation.
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
At a rate of 400 average daily deliveries per day, the maximum noise exposure would be no more than DNL 58.1 dB at any distance from a delivery point and would not exceed DNL 59.7 dB at any point.
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
These metro areas include portions of Armstrong, Atacosta, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Carson, Chambers, Colorado, Comal, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Guadalupe, Harris, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Liberty, Matagorda, Medina, Montgomery, Potter, Randall, Roberston, San Jacinto, Travis, Waller, Walker, Washington, Wharton, Williamson, and Wilson Counties.
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
Based on the noise analysis, and the above project restrictions, the proposed action would not have a significant noise impact.
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
Zipline is seeking to amend its air carrier Operation Specifications (OpSpecs) and other FAA approvals necessary to begin commercial drone package delivery operations in multiple Texas metro areas.
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
Droid is winched down to the ground at the delivery point
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov
The pod is released from the Zipline UA and lowered to the ground via the winch line. During pod descent, the pod automatically controls its position laterally and evaluates the delivery location. If the delivery location is clear, the pod would continue to descend and deliver the payload at the delivery target.
FAA, Draft Environmental Assessment for Zipline International Inc. Proposed Drone Package Delivery Operations in Multiple Texas Metropolitan Areas, September 2026 Primary source, official · faa.gov

Questions about this decision

Answered from the record itself. Every answer is assembled from stored fields, so an answer the record has no basis for is left out rather than guessed.

What is this decision?

The Federal Aviation Administration has published a draft environmental assessment of Zipline International's request to begin commercial drone package delivery in Amarillo, Austin, El Paso, Houston and San Antonio. Approving the change to the company's air carrier operating approvals is the federal action under review. The draft assesses up to 220 chargers, 4,400 pickup dropboxes and 220,000 deliveries a day across the five areas, flown around the clock at about 330 feet above the ground. Routes are generated by software. At each stop a pod lowers on a line and evaluates the drop spot automatically. When the pod can't identify the target and judge the spot itself, an image is sent to an operator. The draft finds no significant noise impact. Comments are open until October 11th, 2026.

Who decides it?

Federal Aviation Administration decides. The record names the deciding body for every entry it carries.

Can the public comment on it?

Anyone can comment on the draft by email until October 11th, 2026, naming the Zipline Texas Draft EA in the subject line. The address is on the agency's drone environmental review page. Written comments can also go by mail to the agency's environmental office in Washington. The draft and its noise study are posted on the agency's drone environmental review page, and every substantive comment is to be answered in the final assessment.

Where in Texas does it apply?

It covers Armstrong, Atascosa, Austin, Bandera Counties and 36 more.

Has it been decided?

Its status on the record is open.

What happens next?

The next dated step is comment closes, on October 11th, in 14 days.

When did it start?

The earliest date on its record is September 11th, 2026.

What kind of decision is it?

It is filed under defense and federal.

What sources back it?

Two sources back it. Two of them are primary.

When was it last checked?

Every fact on it was last verified against its source on September 27th, 2026.

Cite this

Texas AI Docket, FAA takes comment until October 11th on letting Zipline fly drone deliveries around the clock over five Texas metros. Tracked since September 11th, 2026. Last verified September 27th, 2026. https://texasaidocket.com/item/tx-2026-0186/. Reuse permitted under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. The same entry is in the docket JSON as item tx-2026-0186.

Beat

Filed under Defense and federal, with every other decision on that beat.

Last checked 2026-09-27