COVID has drastically reduced people’s air travel, but has turbo-charged the growth of ecommerce. The result? Amazon purchased 11 Boeing 767 – 300 from Delta Airlines (seven) and WestJet Airlines (four) to respond more quickly to the wave of orders. The news is that this is the first time Amazon has bought planes: so far it had limited itself to entering into leasing contracts. Jeff Bezos’ company’s goal is to take its cargo aircraft fleet – also known as Amazon Air or Prime Air – beyond 85 unit by the end of 2022, then aim for 200 units (FedEx relies on 650 planes).

“Our goal is to continue to deliver deliveries to customers in the United States in the way they expect from Amazon and purchase of an airplane is a natural step towards that goal, ”said Sarah Rhoads, vice president of Amazon Global Air. “ Having a mix of leased and owned aircraft in our growing fleet allows us to better manage our operations , which in turn helps us to satisfy our customers. “

The four aircraft purchased by WestJet in March are currently undergoing passenger-to-freight conversion and will join the Amazon Air fleet this year, while Delta’s seven Boeings will be operational from 2022. Amazon Air therefore continues to expand: last year Amazon inaugurated its first hub at Leipzig / Halle airport in Germany and in June signed a leasing agreement for 12 Boeing 767 – 300 with Air Transport Services Group.