Amazon has confirmed the purchase of 11 Boeing 767-300 aircraft.  These include seven from Delta and four from WestJet, all of which are expected to join the network after conversion by 2022.

The giant retailer is already heavily involved with air cargo activities through Prime Air (a name now being dropped) via Atlas Air, with 19 767-300ER and Air Transport International who operate 25 similar aircraft.

“Our goal is to continue delivering for customers across the US 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. She added: “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.”

The cargo carrier for Amazon plays a central role in delivering for customers by transporting items across longer distances in shorter timeframes. 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.

Late last year Amazon announced the launch of freight operations in Europe (See BTN 9 November 2020).

www.amazon.jobs/en/teams/airplanes