Amazon adding 11 jets to delivery fleet

Amazon on Tuesday announced the purchase of 11 jets that the online retail giant will add to its delivery fleet.

This is the first time that Amazon has purchased rather than leased an airplane, a signal of its intentions to continue growing its independent air cargo operations.

Four of the used Boeing 767-300 jets will be purchased from WestJet planes and seven will be acquired from Delta.

The WestJet planes are set to join Amazon’s fleet this year, while the ones from Delta will be integrated in 2022 after being converted.

“Our goal is to continue delivering for customers across the U.S. in the way that they expect from Amazon, and purchasing our own aircraft is a natural next step toward that goal,” Sarah Rhoads, vice president of Amazon Global Air, said in a blog post Tuesday.

“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 with meeting our customer promises,” she said.

Amazon said that its air fleet will have more than 85 planes by the end of 2022.