Despite the fact that Amazon already dominates the online shopping arena, there’s no sign the company intends to take its foot off the gas. In fact, the company unveiled earlier today that it has expanded its transportation fleet by purchasing its very own Boeing 767-300 aircraft. While Amazon Air has been a thing for a while now, the online merchant has leased instead of buying. This move signals that Amazon foresees continued growth. Continue reading to learn more.
Amazon Air expands to ‘keep pace’ with customer orders
Following the expansion of In-Garage Delivery and the potential licensing of the “Just Walk Out” technology using in Amazon Go locations, it feels like the company will never quit setting higher and higher goals for itself. Now Amazon Air is getting its own fleet of aircraft, a move that is likely to further streamline customer deliveries.
The company has leased aircraft until now, making this move its “first-ever purchase” of aircraft. Over 2021 and 2022, Amazon Air will add 11 of its own Boeing 767-300 planes to its fleet. It sourced seven from Delta and four from WestJet.
Amazon touts this move as coming “at a time when customers are relying on fast, free shipping more than ever.” Additional capacity is cited as a pillar reason for the purchase, a mention that isn’t all too surprising, given how popular online shopping has become, especially in the midst of a pandemic.
‘Our goal is to continue delivering for customers across the US in the way that they expect from Amazon, and purchasing our own aircraft is a natural next step toward that goal,’ said Sarah Rhoads, vice president of Amazon Global Air. ‘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 in meeting our customer promises.’
9to5Toys’ Take
My household orders a lot of products from Amazon. This is thanks to the company having a massive inventory of items to choose from, oodles of product reviews on most of them, and a beyond-generous return policy.
Even after bearing all of that in mind, Amazon’s fast shipping is the reason I often balk at the thought of shopping with other online merchants. Amazon’s move to invest in its own aircraft could end up paving the way for even faster deliveries, as it will have more complete control of the shipping process.
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