Amazon has purchased 11 passenger planes from Delta and WestJet that will be converted into cargo planes, according to a press release from the online retailer from Seattle. It’s the first time Amazon bought planes instead of renting them and comes as the airline is struggling from a slowdown in demand during the covid-19 pandemic.
The 11 planes are all Boeing 767-300 planes, seven from Delta and four from WestJet. WestJet planes are already being turned into cargo planes and will join the Amazon Air fleet this year, while Delta planes will become part of the Amazon network in 2022.
Launched in 2016, Amazon Air recently launched it has established hubs in Germany and the US, along with other countries, as it tries to rely less on companies like FedEx and UPS to ship goods worldwide. While Amazon Air now owns eleven aircraft, the company still relies on third-party carriers to operate its aircraft.
Amazon did not disclose how much it paid for the planes, but airlines struggled to unload older planes as the demand for passenger flights continues to suffer around the globe. Covid-19 The pandemic has forced many airlines to make tough choices, and while vaccines are currently being released, there is no guarantee consumer demand will return immediately in 2021.
The US still has an amazingly high level the number of coronavirus cases, with over 21 million covid-19 cases identified since the beginning of the pandemic and over 357,000 American deaths. The TSA examined approximately 1.3 million passengers on Sunday, January 3, at the end of the holiday weekend, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic, although still about half of the passengers he checked on the same day 2020.
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TThe loss of the airline industry was Amazon’s gain several times throughout the pandemic. Americans spend more time at home and insurance companies online shopping has benefited.
“Our goal is to continue to deliver to US customers the way they expect from Amazon, and purchasing our own aircraft is a natural step toward that goal,” said Sarah Rhoads, vice president of Amazon Global Air, in a statement. . published online.
“Having a combination of both leased and owned aircraft in our growing fleet allows us to better manage our operations, which in turn helps us keep pace with our customers’ promises.”