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Amazon Acquires Additional Aircraft

Amazon has acquired 11 Boeing 767-300s in its first-ever direct purchase of aircraft.  The company bought seven aircraft from Delta Air Lines and four from Canada’s WestJet.  The purchases were made to enable Amazon to expand its air transport network to meet surging demand during the Covid-19 crisis and beyond, the company said.

The four WestJet aircraft are undergoing passenger-to-cargo conversion and will join Amazon’s network this year.  The seven jets from Delta will begin flying freight for the online retailer in 2022.  Third-party carriers will fly the aircraft.

“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,” said Amazon Air VP Sarah Rhoads.

The retail giant launched Amazon Air in 2016 as an air transport subsidiary to circumvent and compete against freight giants UPS and FedEx Express.  Amazon’s contract carriers fly a total of 66 aircraft.