Amazon Air expands fleet with 11 ex-airline aircraft
Pivot to providing own capacity continues, as Amazon expands its transportation fleet by purchasing aircraft from Delta Air Lines and WestJet Airlines
Amazon have expanded their Amazon Air fleet with its first-ever purchase of eleven Boeing 767-300 aircraft, seven from Delta and four from WestJet, which will join the network by 2022.
The four aircraft purchased from WestJet in March are currently undergoing passenger-to-cargo conversion and will join Amazon Air’s network in 2021, and the seven aircraft from Delta will enter Amazon’s air cargo network in 2022.
The company will continue to rely on third-party carriers to operate these new aircraft.
Amazon Air plays a central role in the company’s transportation network and assists with transporting items across longer distances in shorter timeframes. Amazon says these fleet additions will ensure added capacity in the network for years to come.
This is the latest addition to the global expansion of Amazon Air. Last year, Amazon launched its first-ever air hub at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany, and new regional air operations at over 10 airport locations.
“Our goal is to continue delivering for customers across the U.S. in the way that they expect from Amazon, and purchasing our own aircraft is a natural next step toward that goal,” said Sarah Rhoads, Vice President of Amazon Global Air. “Having a mix of both leased and owned aircraft in our growing fleet allows us to better manage our operations, which in turn helps us to keep pace in meeting our customer promises.