Feb 26, 2021 - Economy & Business
Amazon Air thrives as other airlines struggle under weight of pandemic
- Joann Muller, author of Axios What's Next

Photo: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
While most airlines are reeling from the effects of the pandemic, Amazon is on track to double the size of its aircraft fleet by June, a DePaul University analysis found.
Why it matters: Exploding demand for next-day delivery is fueling rapid growth of Amazon Air, the online retailer's air cargo business.
- Some analysts expect Amazon Air could soon expand into third-party delivery, challenging leading shippers FedEx and UPS, as I reported last year.
Reality check: With 85 planes, Amazon Air is still tiny compared to FedEx's fleet of 679 planes, and UPS' 572 aircraft, notes CNBC.
- Amazon leases most of its planes, but in January it purchased 11 used Boeing 767-300 jets from Delta and WestJet.
- Amazon Air now regularly makes an average of 140 flights daily, and could grow to more than 160 by June 2021, according to DePaul's Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development.
- The company plans to open a $1.5 billion air hub at Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport later this year.