Amazon Buys Four Airplanes from WestJet to Expand Delivery Fleet

Amazon this week announced it has expanded its air fleet, purchasing 11 Boeing 767-300 airplanes “to continue to serve customers.”

The interesting part is four of these planes from from Canadian airliner WestJet, while the other seven are from U.S. airline, Delta.

“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,” said Sarah Rhoads, Vice President of Amazon Global Air, in a statement. “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.”

According to Amazon Air, the WestJet planes were purchased in March. They are currently being renovated to become cargo carriers, expected to be ready later this year.

“These fleet additions will ensure added capacity in Amazon Air’s network for years to come,” detailed Amazon, noting it will “continue to rely on third-party carriers to operate these new aircraft.”

WestJet added four Boeing 767-300 planes to its fleet in 2015, flying domestically and internationally.

Given the halt in air traffic and travel due to COVID-19 this year, Amazon may have scooped up some deals from airlines, which are struggling with revenue streams during coronavirus.