Amazon Air
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cargo airline |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Cargo air transport services |
| Owner | Amazon.com, Inc. |
Number of employees | 15,000+ (2020) |
| Parent | Amazon.com, Inc. |
| Website | www |
Amazon Air (marketed as Prime Air) functions as a virtual cargo airline exclusively dedicated to transporting packages for Amazon. In 2017, it transitioned from the name Amazon Prime Air to Amazon Air to differentiate itself from the identically named autonomous drone delivery initiative, although the Prime Air emblem still appears on its fleet.[1] Up until January 2021, Amazon Air operated through wet leases for its aircraft but has since started purchasing planes outright.[2] Nonetheless, for aircraft it owns, the company continues to utilize CMI (crew, maintenance, and insurance) leasing arrangements with third-party operators.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
History
Towards the end of 2015, Amazon initiated pilot cargo flights from Wilmington Air Park under the codename Project Aerosmith. In December of that year, Amazon revealed intentions to establish its own cargo airline to enhance shipping capacity.
By March 2016, Amazon secured options to acquire up to a 19.9% stake in Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) and commenced scheduled services using a fleet of 20 Boeing 767 aircraft.
On January 31, 2017, Amazon selected Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (KCVG) as its main hub, with operations officially starting on April 30, 2017. The company received $40 million in tax incentives and planned a facility incorporating a sorting center alongside parking accommodations for over 100 cargo planes. The initial investment was projected at $1.5 billion.
In December 2017, the brand shifted from Amazon Prime Air to Amazon Air to clearly separate from its drone delivery service; however, it maintained the "Prime Air" callsign.
By June 2018, Amazon Air stationed 20 of its total 33 cargo aircraft at KCVG, while others operated direct point-to-point routes throughout the United States. Although there were plans to relocate into office space at the former Comair headquarters by March 2018, this move did not materialize. In December 2018, Amazon expanded its fleet by leasing an additional ten Boeing 767-300 aircraft from ATSG.
In October 2019, Amazon inaugurated a regional hub at Fort Worth Alliance Airport (KAFW), dedicated exclusively to handling Amazon's own shipments.
Between 2019 and 2020, Amazon committed to leasing ten more Boeing 767-300s from ATSG with a goal of growing its fleet to approximately 50 planes. The first phase of the CVG sorting facility () was completed in 2020; the second phase covering the remaining area is scheduled between 2025 and 2027. Projections include hosting over 100 aircraft at CVG with more than 200 daily flights supported by a workforce exceeding 15,000 employees.
In July 2020, Amazon Air secured agreements for up to six million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) through partnerships with Shell Aviation and World Energy.
By September of that year, Amazon committed to acquiring four Boeing 767-300 aircraft—the first it would own rather than lease—from WestJet. Following increased demand during the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2021, Amazon further purchased eleven Boeing 767-300s from Delta Air Lines and WestJet.
In March 2021, Amazon exercised warrants valued at $131 million to obtain a minority equity stake in ATSG, which owns Amazon Air’s sub-lessor Air Transport International. Additionally, it holds warrants granting minority stakes in Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, parent company of Atlas Air.
A study conducted in September 2022 by the Chaddick Institute revealed that Amazon Air expanded its network capacity by 5.8% without adding new warehouse facilities. Its cargo carrying capability reached approximately 14% of FedEx Express and nearly 23% of UPS Airlines.
In October 2022, Amazon leased ten Airbus A330-300P2F freighters from Altavair, operated by Hawaiian Airlines. These aircraft are undergoing conversion into freighters by Elbe Flugzeugwerke, with the first expected to enter service in late 2023.
January 2023 marked the launch of Amazon Prime Air services in India through a collaboration with Quikjet Airlines. This operation utilizes two branded Boeing 737-800 freighters covering Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. The plan includes expanding the fleet to six dedicated freighters within the year while continuing to use cargo space aboard other passenger carriers.
Function
Amazon Air's main role is to move parcels from remote fulfillment centers located beyond Amazon's local ground linehaul system. Once airlifted to the destination region, these parcels are transferred to regional Amazon Sortation Centers, where they are sorted for delivery either to nearby Amazon Logistics Delivery Stations or to local Post Offices, where the United States Postal Service completes the final leg of delivery. In certain cases, shipments skip the Sortation Centers and head straight to local Delivery Stations for last mile distribution by Amazon Logistics.
Destinations
Amazon Air maintains regular flight services to a wide array of domestic and global locations, including key hubs and focus cities listed below:
| Country | City | IATA code | ICAO code | Airport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada (Alberta) | Calgary | YYC | CYYC | Calgary International Airport | |
| Canada (Alberta) | Edmonton | YEG | CYEG | Edmonton International Airport | |
| Canada (British Columbia) | Vancouver | YVR | CYVR | Vancouver International Airport | |
| Canada (Ontario) | Hamilton | YHM | CYHM | John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport | |
| France | Paris | CDG | LFPG | Charles de Gaulle Airport | |
| Germany | Cologne | CGN | EDDK | Cologne Bonn Airport | |
| Germany | Hanover | HAJ | EDDV | Hannover Airport | |
| Germany | Leipzig | LEJ | EDDP | Leipzig/Halle Airport * | |
| India | Bangalore | BLR | VOBL | Kempegowda International Airport | |
| India | Coimbatore | CJB | VOCB | Coimbatore International Airport | |
| India | Delhi | DEL | VIDP | Indira Gandhi International Airport | |
| India | Hyderabad | HYD | VOHS | Rajiv Gandhi International Airport * | |
| India | Mumbai | BOM | VABB | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport | |
| Italy | Cagliari | CAG | LIEE | Cagliari Elmas Airport | |
| Italy | Catania | CTA | LICC | Catania–Fontanarossa Airport | |
| Italy | Milan | MXP | LIMC | Milan Malpensa Airport | |
| Italy | Rome | FCO | LIRF | Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport | |
| Poland | Katowice | KTW | EPKT | Katowice Airport | |
| Spain | Barcelona | BCN | LEBL | Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport | |
| Spain | Madrid | MAD | LEMD | Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport | |
| Turkey | Istanbul | IST | LTFM | Istanbul Airport | |
| United Kingdom | Castle Donington | EMA | EGNX | East Midlands Airport | |
| United Kingdom | London | SEN | EGMC | London Southend Airport | |
| United States (Alabama) | Mobile | BFM | KBFM | Mobile International Airport | |
| United States (Alaska) | Anchorage | ANC | PANC | Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport | |
| United States (Alaska) | Fairbanks | FAI | PAFA | Fairbanks International Airport | |
| United States (Arizona) | Phoenix | PHX | KPHX | Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport | |
| United States (California) | Los Angeles | LAX | KLAX | Los Angeles International Airport | |
| United States (California) | Ontario | ONT | KONT | Ontario International Airport | |
| United States (California) | Riverside | RIV | KRIV | March Air Reserve Base | |
| United States (California) | Sacramento | SMF | KSMF | Sacramento International Airport | |
| United States (California) | San Bernardino | SBD | KSBD | San Bernardino International Airport * | |
| United States (California) | San Francisco | SFO | KSFO | San Francisco International Airport | |
| United States (California) | Stockton | SCK | KSCK | Stockton Metropolitan Airport | |
| United States (Colorado) | Denver | DEN | KDEN | Denver International Airport | |
| United States (Connecticut) | Hartford | BDL | KBDL | Bradley International Airport | |
| United States (Florida) | Miami | MIA | KMIA | Miami International Airport | |
| United States (Florida) | Lakeland | LAL | KLAL | Lakeland Linder International Airport | |
| United States (Florida) | Tampa | TPA | KTPA | Tampa International Airport | |
| United States (Georgia) | Atlanta | ATL | KATL | Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport | |
| United States (Hawaii) | Honolulu | HNL | PHNL | Daniel K. Inouye International Airport | |
| United States (Hawaii) | Kahului/Maui | OGG | PHOG | Kahului Airport | |
| United States (Hawaii) Kona (KOA) PHKO Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole | |||||
| United States (Idaho) Boise BOI KBOI Boise Airport Template:Arrow | |||||
| United States (Illinois) Chicago ORD KORD Chicago O'Hare International Airport | |||||
| United States (Illinois) Chicago/Rockford RFD KRFD Chicago Rockford International Airport | |||||
| United States (Indiana) Fort Wayne FWA KFWA Fort Wayne International Airport | |||||
| United States (Indiana) South Bend SBN KSBN South Bend International Airport | |||||
| United States (Iowa) Des Moines DSM KDSM Des Moines International Airport | |||||
| United States (Kansas) Wichita ICT KICT Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport | |||||
| United States (Louisiana) New Orleans MSY KMSY Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport | |||||
| United States (Louisiana) Shreveport SHV KSHV Shreveport Regional Airport Template:Arrow | |||||
| United States (Maryland) Baltimore BWI KBWI Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport | |||||
| United States (Minnesota) Minneapolis MSP KMSP Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport | |||||
| United States (Missouri) Kansas City MCI KMCI Kansas City International Airport | |||||
| United States (Missouri) St. Louis STL KSTL St. Louis Lambert International Airport | |||||
| United States (Nebraska) Omaha OMA KOMA Eppley Airfield | |||||
| United States (New Hampshire) Manchester MHT KMHT Manchester-Boston Regional Airport | |||||
| United States (New Mexico) Albuquerque ABQ KABQ Albuquerque International Sunport | |||||
| United States (New York) New York JFK KJFK John F. Kennedy International Airport | |||||
| United States (North Carolina) Charlotte CLT KCLT Charlotte Douglas International Airport | |||||
| United States (Ohio) Toledo TOL KTOL Toledo Express Airport | |||||
| United States (Ohio) Wilmington ILN KILN Airborne Airpark | |||||
| United States (Ohio/Kentucky) Cincinnati/Covington CVG KCVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport * | |||||
| United States (Oregon) Portland PDX KPDX Portland International Airport | |||||
| United States (Pennsylvania) Allentown ABE KABE Lehigh Valley International Airport | |||||
| United States (Pennsylvania) Pittsburgh PIT KPIT Pittsburgh International Airport | |||||
| United States (Puerto Rico) San Juan SJU TJSJ Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport | |||||
| United States (Rhode Island) Providence PVD KPVD Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport Template:Number sign | |||||
| United States (Tennessee) Nashville BNA KBNA Nashville International Airport | |||||
| United States (Texas) Austin AUS KAUS Austin-Bergstrom International Airport | |||||
| United States (Texas) Dallas/Fort Worth DFW KDFW Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport | |||||
| United States (Texas) Fort Worth AFW KAFW Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport * | |||||
| United States (Texas) Houston IAH KIAH George Bush Intercontinental Airport | |||||
| United States (Texas) San Antonio SKF KSKF Kelly Field | |||||
| United States (Virginia) Richmond RIC KRIC Richmond International Airport | |||||
| United States (Washington) Seattle/Tacoma SEA KSEA Seattle–Tacoma International Airport | |||||
| United States (Washington) Spokane GEG KGEG Spokane International Airport |
Fleet
Amazon Air's fleet consists of Airbus A330, Boeing 737, and Boeing 767 models, all operated through third-party contractors. As of January 2025, the following aircraft compose the fleet:
| Aircraft | Quantity in service | Pending orders | Operating partner | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A330-300P2F | 10 | — | Hawaiian Airlines | ||
| Boeing 737-800BCF | 31 | 8 | — | Atlas Air | |
| 9 | ASL Airlines Ireland | ||||
| 2 | QuikJet Airlines | ||||
| 12 | Sun Country Airlines | ||||
| Boeing 767-300F | 60 | 41 | — | Air Transport International | One aircraft lost in the Atlas Air Flight 3591 accident. |
| 17 | Atlas Air | ||||
| 2 | Cargojet Airways | ||||
| Total | 101 | — | |||
| Aircraft | Quantity | Entry into service | Withdrawal date | Operating partner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 72-500F | 5 | 2021 | 2023 | Silver Airways | Retired as of July 8, 2023, following the conclusion of Amazon's collaboration with Silver Airways. |
Accidents and incidents
- On February 23, 2019, a Boeing 767-300BCF operated by Atlas Air Flight 3591 for Amazon Air crashed into Trinity Bay near Anahuac, Texas, approximately southeast of George Bush Intercontinental Airport during its approach phase. This scheduled flight was traveling from Miami International Airport to George Bush Intercontinental. All three individuals onboard—two crew members and one passenger—were fatally injured. This marked the first deadly accident involving the Boeing 767F model.
- On November 19, 2024, a Boeing 767-300F operated by Cargojet on behalf of Amazon Air overran the northern runway at Vancouver International Airport around 1:45 am, veering onto the adjacent grass area. No injuries were reported, though the aircraft incurred significant damage.
Further media
- Videos