FLEET - Amazon fleet of A330 converted freighters transferred to IAT Leasing

Amazon Air first A330P2F (CVG Airport) 

 Widebody cargo jets were introduced in 2023 and are now flown by Alaska Airlines

The aircraft are operated by Alaska Air Group – which acquired them through Hawaiian Airlines – on behalf of Amazon Air.

IAT Leasing claims to have acquired the portfolio of twin-engine aircraft from funds managed by asset manager Altavair, adding that the acquisition was made on behalf of funds managed by Blue Owl Capital of the USA and financed by MUFG of Japan.

The A330 freighters covered by the transaction are equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines.

Airbus to join Amazon Air fleet with ten A330-300P2F converted freighters

 Amazon Air has signed a firm agreement to lease ten A330-300P2F freighters from Altavair, taking advantage of the A330’s capacity and economics to help fulfil its one-day delivery promise to Amazon Prime customers. The aircraft will be operated for Amazon by Hawaiian Airlines, which has had A330s as a key element of its fleet since 2010. The ten airframes are being converted from passenger aircraft to freighters by Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW), the centre of excellence for Airbus Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversions.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Airbus to our Amazon Air fleet,” said Philippe Karam, Director, Amazon Global Air Fleet & Sourcing. “These A330-300s will not only be the first of their kind in our fleet, they’ll also be the newest, largest aircraft for Amazon Air, allowing us to deliver more customer packages with each flight.”

Amazon Air transports customer packages over longer distances in shorter timeframes to deliver on its customer promise of fast, free delivery. The first of their A330-300P2F aircraft is expected to join the Amazon Air fleet in late 2023.

"The endorsement of our freighters by Amazon speaks volumes about the market value of the A330 and the position Airbus wide-bodies are gaining in the cargo market,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International. “Amazon has built a reputation around delivering their goods to our doorsteps with extraordinary speed and consistency, and we’re very proud that our aircraft are trusted to become a key link in that remarkable logistics chain.”

With advanced Airbus technology that includes fly-by-wire flight controls, the A330 offers an extremely capable platform for freighter conversion. Since the A330’s service entry in 1994, more than 1,700 A330s have been ordered, with more than 1,500 delivered – providing a large source of aircraft to support P2F conversions for many years.

While both A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft are eligible for conversion, the longer-fuselage A330-300P2F is particularly suited for integrators and express carriers, due to its high volumetric payload capability with lower-density cargo.

The A330P2F conversion program, launched in 2012, is a collaboration between ST Aerospace, Airbus and their joint venture EFW.

First ATR freighter with Amazon registration emerges

According to Airways Magazine, the early-July arrival of an ATR72 freighter marked the third ATR turboprop for Amazon Air.

This third aircraft came from Aurigny Air Services in an all-economy passenger configuration, previously registered as G-VZON. The airline was previously set up to transport 72 passengers. However, after its time with Aurigny, it was then converted to a freighter for Amazon in July 2021. Bearing MSN-853 and registration N919AZ, the 12-and-a-half-year-old aircraft’s new designation as a freighter is an ATR 72-500F.

Cooper Schrage
Fort Worth Alliance Airport - KAFW, USA - Texas

Amazon set to acquire A330-300P2Fs and B777-300ERSFs

According to Bloomberg, Amazon is searching the market to acquire ten A330-300s and an unspecified number of B777-300ERs which it then plans to convert into freighters. The plan is then to place the aircraft with various carriers which will operate them for the e-commerce giant.

Currently, Amazon Prime Air has a fleet of 75 aircraft, consisting of 23 B737-800BCFs (operated by ASL Airlines Ireland, Southern Air and Sun Country Airlines), and 52 B767-300ERBCF/BDSFs (operated by Air Transport International, Atlas Air and CargoJet). The company is also set to introduce at least four ATR72-freighters which will be operated by Silver Airways.

Amazon’s ATR Cargo Planes – What We Know So Far

eCommerce giant Amazon is continuing to expand its air division with the acquisition of ATR72 freighters. While the operator’s Boeing 767s are used for longer distances, its growing fleet of ATR72s will naturally be used for shorter routes, connecting small towns. Let’s take a look at the latest developments for this part of the Amazon fleet.

According to Airways Magazine, the early-July arrival of an ATR72 freighter marked the third ATR turboprop for Amazon Air.

This third aircraft came from Aurigny Air Services in an all-economy passenger configuration, previously registered as G-VZON. The airline was previously set up to transport 72 passengers. However, after its time with Aurigny, it was then converted to a freighter for Amazon in July 2021. Bearing MSN-853 and registration N919AZ, the 12-and-a-half-year-old aircraft’s new designation as a freighter is an ATR 72-500F.

Simpleflying

Amazon checks out with more 767s

Amazon has acquired seven 767-300ERs from Delta Air Lines, the second batch of 767s the e-tailer has purchased outright as opposed to dry leasing, which it did with all freighters currently in service on its behalf. Three 767s (30594, 30595, 30575) were transferred to Amazon.com Services LLC on Dec. 23, while another four

Amazon checks out with more 767s

Amazon has acquired seven 767-300ERs from Delta Air Lines, the second batch of 767s the e-tailer has purchased outright as opposed to dry leasing, which it did with all freighters currently in service on its behalf

Amazon secures 15 more B737-800 freighters

Amazon.com has announced it has agreed to lease fifteen more B737-800(BCF)s from GECAS for use in expanding its US delivery network operations.

In a statement, the online retailer said the fifteen jets would deliver by 2021 and will supplement the five B737-800(BCF)s it already leases from GECAS. The aircraft in question are operated by Southern Air (9S, Cincinnati Int'l) for fellow Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings subsidiary, Atlas Air (5Y, New York JFK).

“These new aircraft create additional capacity for Amazon Air, building on the investment in our Prime Free One-Day program,” Dave Clark, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations at Amazon, said. “By 2021, Amazon Air will have a portfolio of 70 aircraft flying in our dedicated air network.”

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, Amazon's US dedicated cargo fleet comprises forty-six freighters, including B737-800(F)s, B767-200(F)s, and B767-300(F)s operated by each of ABX Air, ATI - Air Transport International, Southern Air, and Atlas Air.



Amazon will open new facilities this year at Fort Worth Alliance Airport, in Wilmington, OH, and in Rockford. Its main Air Hub at Cincinnati Int'l will open in 2021.

Amazon to Lease 20 Boeing Aircraft for Cargo Delivery

By Sai Sachin R, Mari Saito, Reuters | Mar. 09, 2016

Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday it had signed a deal to lease 20 Boeing 767 widebody freighter aircraft to handle more of its own deliveries in the United States.

The deal comes at a time when the world's biggest online retailer is offering ever-faster, and increasingly free, deliveries for millions of online orders.

Amazon, which relies on carriers like United Parcel Service Inc and FedEx Corp to deliver most of its packages, spent US$11.5 billion on shipping last year.

In a bid to assume more control over its supply chain and reduce costs, Amazon has rolled out thousands of trailers and launched a program that uses contract drivers to deliver fast orders.

But analysts said the long-rumored plan to build its own air fleet posed little threat to the leading delivery companies.

"This is an incremental negative for FDX and UPS as it will likely remove some higher yielding express freight and parcel volume from each of the respective networks," RBC Capital Markets analyst John Barnes wrote in a client note.

UPS, the world's No. 1 package delivery company, operates about 240 large planes while FedEx has a fleet of about 370, Barnes noted. FedEx and UPS shares were down about 1.5 percent.

FedEx said on Wednesday the announcement was not a surprise and called Amazon a valuable customer.

"We work closely with Amazon and have been aware for some time about their need for supplemental air capacity related to inventory management," said Patrick Fitzgerald, senior vice president of integrated marketing and communications at FedEx.

The leased planes will start to go into operation on April 1, Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Cheeseman said in an email.

Amazon has been testing deliveries by drones but has not said when they would be in service.

The duration of the leases will be five to seven years, lessor Air Transport Services Group Inc said.

As part of the agreement, Amazon has the right to buy up to 19.9 percent of ATSG's stock over five years at US$9.73 per share.

ATSG's stock soared almost 27 percent to a record high of US$14.90, before paring gains to about 16 percent.