Amazon has purchased 11 Delta and WestJet passenger planes that will be converted into cargo planes, according to a Seattle-based online retailer press release. It’s the first time Amazon has bought planes directly instead of renting them and comes when the airline industry struggles with a slowdown in demand during the covid-19 pandemic.
The 11 aircraft are Boeing 767-300 aircraft, seven from Delta and four from WestJet. WestJet aircraft are already becoming cargo planes and will join Amazon Air’s fleet this year, while Delta aircraft will become part of Amazon’s network in 2022.
Launched in 2016, Amazon Air has recently done so established in Germany and the United States, along with other countries, as it intends to rely less on companies such as FedEx and UPS to ship goods worldwide. Although Amazon Air now has eleven aircraft, the company continues to rely on third-party operators to operate its aircraft.
Amazon did not disclose how much it paid for the planes, but airlines have struggled to unload them older planes as the demand for passenger flights continues to suffer worldwide. The covid-19 The pandemic has forced many airlines to make difficult decisions, and while vaccines are currently being rolled out, there is no guarantee consumer demand will recover immediately in 2021.
The United States still has an astonishing level coronavirus case figures, with more than 21 million covid-19 cases identified since the pandemic began, and more than 357,000 U.S. deaths. TSA examined approximately 1.3 million passengers on Sunday, January 3, end of holiday weekend, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic, although it is still approximately half of the passengers he examined the same day 2020.
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TThe loss of the airline industry has been Amazon’s gain over and over again throughout the pandemic. Americans stay more at home and the companies that provide it online shopping has reaped the benefits.
“Our goal is to continue to deliver to U.S. customers the way they expect from Amazon, and buying our own aircraft is the next natural step toward that goal,” said Sarah Rhoads, vice president of Amazon Global Air, at a statement. published on line.
“Having a mix of leased and owned aircraft in our growing fleet allows us to better manage our operations, which in turn helps us keep pace in fulfilling our customers’ promises.”