Amazon launches ‘Prime Air’, its first cargo airplane for speedier delivery

You might have seen Amazon test delivery of goods using a drone, but this is something we didn’t expect to see anytime soon. The American e-commerce behemoth has today announced that it will be showcasing its first-ever branded cargo airplane — Prime Air — during its hometown Seattle’s Seafair Air Show.

The airplane converted into Amazon’s branded cargo is the Boeing 767-300, which will be operated by its air cargo provider Atlas Air. The airplane that will be shown off at the Air Show is one of the 40 that Amazon has agreed to lease through its partners Atlas Air and ATSG.

This sudden and kind-of unexpected move was fueled by the mission to achieve faster delivery speeds for its Prime customers. Circling about the same point, Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior VP of worldwide operations, says,

Creating an air transportation network is expanding our capacity to ensure great delivery speeds for our Prime members for years to come.

I cannot imagine a better way to celebrate the inaugural flight than in our hometown at Seafair alongside Amazon employees and Seattle residents.

The company has already rolled out the service and currently 11 dedicated airplanes are carrying your packages and flying for Amazon. The company plans to expand its fleet to maximize efficiency and reduce delivery time for its Prime customers in the coming years.

Amazon has previously also made multiple on-ground efforts to ensure great delivery speeds and supply chain capacity for its customers. One such initiative is called Amazon Flex, a mobile app that lets you sign-up, be vetted and begin delivering for Amazon(kinda like Postmates in today’s world!). It has also a dedicated network of 4,000 trailers to increase trucking capacity in the United States alone.

In addition to this, the company is also employing robots, several machine learning and other technological innovations at its fulfillment center to ensure just one thing — speedier deliveries. Amazon has also introduced its speedier Prime delivery service in India just last week. You can enjoy the services of the same for a couple months for free.

If you’re unable to visit the Seattle Seafair Air Show, then you should definitely have a look at the behind-the-scene action of the airplane’s designing and paint job. Enjoy!