Amazon plans to expand drone deliveries to about 500 locations in the US

Amazon said it will expand its drone delivery service to hundreds of cities and towns across the United States by the end of the year, up from 11 locations from which it currently serves several surrounding communities.

The expansion comes more than a decade after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos unveiled what he called octocopters, or drones, in 2013, and predicted the service would be available within four to five years, Reuters reports.

Amazon currently delivers by drone from 11 locations, including Papillon, Nebraska, and Ruskin, Florida. The company plans to expand to Syracuse, New York, and the area near Cleveland, among others. A single delivery center can serve multiple locations within a radius of about 12 miles. Amazon said the broader expansion of the service will include about 500 locations.

Amazon has redesigned its Prime Air drone several times since 2013. Earlier models landed to drop off packages, while the current version, known as the MK30, hovers a few feet above the ground and drops them.

Drone delivery costs customers $4,99, or $2 less for Prime members, while the fee is waived for orders worth at least $50.

Amazon announced the expansion of the service after Reuters contacted the company about it on Tuesday.

The company will need to get regulatory approval in each community where it plans to launch the service, which often requires hearings before local councils and input from residents. Amazon said it has approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration to fly in most areas of the US.

For example, at a planning and zoning commission meeting in Nampa, Idaho, in May, Amazon CEO Sam Bailey spent nearly an hour answering questions about noise, safety, and logistics of drones, as well as objections from residents who opposed the service on various grounds, including bird safety. The board ultimately unanimously approved the service.

Bailey said the drones will be heard for about 20 seconds as they land and then fly away, with a noise level lower than a lawnmower.

"It's a short-term experience," he said. "While it's a new innovation, so it will feel different, it's not much different than a delivery truck driving down your street."

He added that drone delivery is useful for the elderly, parents whose children have "got a fever" and people who have forgotten an ingredient for a meal they are preparing at home.