What lies behind Amazon’s withdrawal?

In the summer of 2025, Jeff Bezos made headlines with his extravagant wedding in Venice. However, the recent news from „Bella Italia“ is likely far less appealing to the Amazon CEO. As initially reported by the news agency Reuters, the retail giant has unexpectedly stopped its drone delivery plans in Italy, just days before a U-Space was set to begin regular operations in the „Amazon test area“ of San Salvo.

Amazon and drones. What began in 2013 with an announcement from Jeff Bezos took a long time to materialize but has gained momentum in recent times. Drone deliveries are already being carried out in selected regions of the US, and the company is also advancing similar initiatives in the United Kingdom. From the very beginning, Italy played a central role in the international expansion plans. At the end of 2024, Amazon announced successful test flights in San Salvo, a small town in the Abruzzo region. In fact, a U-Space area was established there on 1 January 2026, likely in anticipation of future Prime Air deliveries. However, just before the end of the year, the US corporation seemingly pulled the emergency brake and halted its drone delivery plans in Italy.

In a statement to Reuters, Amazon justified the decision with a strategic realignment. However, the specific trigger for the reassessment of the situation remains unknown. It is unclear whether the concrete regulatory framework for the U-Space area in San Salvo, or recent investigations by Italian authorities into Amazon for potential tax evasion related to the import of Chinese goods, played a role. What is clear, however, is that the topic of drone delivery in Europe has received a significant setback.