How Many Planes Does Amazon Have In 2024? A Rapidly Expanding Air Fleet
Amazon launched its air cargo delivery service Amazon Air in 2016 with just 5 planes, aiming to control more of its shipping logistics. But the company’s air fleet has since undergone supersized growth to become a global cargo heavyweight.
As of January 2023, Amazon Air operates a fleet of 82 aircraft – putting it among the top cargo airlines worldwide. This includes both Boeing 767-300 widebodies and Boeing 737-800 narrowbodies specifically retrofitted to transport over 100,000 pounds of packages per flight.
To put the scale into perspective, Amazon Air had under 50 planes in 2018. So in just 5 years, the fleet has nearly doubled in size.
Industry expect projections indicate the airline could operate over 200 planes by 2028 – second only to mammoths like FedEx and UPS. This puts the tech giant on an ambitious path to dominate the air cargo landscape.
Why Is Amazon Air Expanding So Rapidly?
Powering the fleet growth is surging demand for Amazon’s delivery services as online shopping volumes continue reaching unprecedented highs, especially amid the pandemic.
Analysts estimate over 72% of Americans now shop online. With consumers relying more on e-commerce, Amazon is prioritizing developing its own shipping capabilities to enable faster, more flexible delivery instead of relying on 3rd party services.
Owning and operating a vast air delivery network allows Amazon to control more of its logistics chain. The tech giant can bypass traditional carriers, reduce delays from lack of capacity, meet next-day/2-day delivery promises and reach more zip codes than ever.
This level of shipping speed and reliability provides Amazon a key competitive edge in the cut-throat e-commerce space when customers want purchases delivered ASAP.
The Evolution of Amazon Air’s Fleet Size
Let’s look at how many planes Amazon Air has added through the years:
| Year | Total Aircraft | Additional Aircraft | Fun Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 planes | – | Amazon Air begins operating |
| 2017 | 15 planes | +10 | The first Amazon-branded plane debuted |
| 2018 | 50 planes | +35 | Daily flights exceeded 20 |
| 2021 | 75 planes | +25 | 200 flight routes reached |
| 2023 | 82 planes | +7 | Named one of America’s fastest growing airlines |
| 2028 (Expected) | 200+ planes | +100+ | Projected to be among top cargo carriers globally |
As the stats show, Amazon Air has invested hugely in expanding its fleet, its flight schedules and global route reach to unlock faster delivery times.
And with e-commerce growth showing no signs of slowing, Amazon’s air delivery arm will likely keep those planes coming!
How Are Planes Converted for Cargo Transport?
Amazon flies used Boeing 767-300s and 737-800s – converted from passenger to cargo use. This transformation involves stripping out seats and interiors to make way for cargo holds and reinforced floors for heavy package loading.
According to aviation engineers, the reconfiguration opens up 20% more containerized volume. The planes also employ updated avionics and radio communication suites while retaining original frames and engines.
These converted planes allow Amazon to rapidly grow its fleet through acquiring used airliners vs waiting years for entirely new planes. It provides a more cost-effective, eco-friendly path to add air cargo capacity quickly.
Boeing itself calls the process the “most successful conversion solution in commercial aviation history” – already utilized for over 270 aircraft so far. As Amazon expands globally, expect more used Boeings getting fresh life transporting those familiar smiley arrow boxes!
What Does The Future Hold?
With online buying behavior continuing to shift, investment firm Morgan Stanley sees Amazon Air growing into a $100 billion annual revenue airline by 2025 through integrated logistics services offered to outside retailers beyond Amazon marketplace sellers too.
That’s a 200 ton package delivery empire taking flight! So next time you get a “your Amazon order has shipped” notification in record time, it may well be thanks to Amazon’s own rapidly expanding fleet of cargo jets.
