Alphabet-owned Wing is quietly cranking up its presence over the Charlotte metro, adding limited night-time drone deliveries in select neighborhoods and stretching DoorDash and retail drop-offs later into the evening. The new hours build on the company’s May 2025 debut in south Charlotte and a January hub opening north of the city, promising quicker runs for meals, groceries and last-minute essentials, plus a few more small drones zipping around after dark.
According to Charlotte Business Journal, Wing has expanded its Charlotte footprint and begun night service in certain local areas as part of a broader rollout across major U.S. metros. The outlet reports that Wing has been steadily adding neighborhoods since the program first launched last year.
New hubs and faster trips
Wing first launched drone delivery from The Arboretum Shopping Center in May 2025, then opened a second “Nest” at Northcross Shopping Center in Huntersville in January, pushing coverage beyond south Charlotte. Local reporting from MeckTimes notes that eligible DoorDash customers ordering from Northcross can see deliveries arrive in roughly 20 minutes. The Arboretum confirms the original launch and lists the center’s address as 8008 Providence Road.
How the deliveries actually work
DoorDash handles the ordering and routing side. Eligible customers see a “Drone” icon in the app and can pick drone delivery at checkout for participating restaurants and DashMart items. The app shows which merchants are covered and provides live tracking as the drone heads in, and DoorDash and its partners are gradually adding more stores and neighborhoods as new hubs come online.
Night flights and safety
Wing says it received FAA approval to operate after sunset, and that its extended hours, roughly 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at select Charlotte sites starting March 5, rely on near-infrared illumination and other sensing systems designed to avoid obstacles while keeping visible light to a minimum. On the regulatory front, the FAA and TSA have published a proposed Part 108 rule to normalize beyond-visual-line-of-sight commercial drone operations, a sign that the rulebook for routine drone delivery is still very much in progress.
How to check if your address is eligible…