Another first for Amazon

In its ongoing quest to speed up delivery for its customers, Amazon has unveiled its first “Prime Air” branded delivery plane.



The plane is a Boeing 767-300, owned and operated by Atlas Air, that has been converted into a freighter. Named Amazon One, the plane is one of 40 that Amazon has agreed to lease through air cargo partners Atlas and ATSG.



As of Thursday, Aug. 5, Amazon has 11 dedicated airplanes flying, with additional airplanes rolling out over time. In an ode to its Prime members, Amazon’s first airplane in its dedicated fleet features a tail number made up of a Prime number.



“Creating an air transportation network is expanding our capacity to ensure great delivery speeds for our Prime members for years to come,” said Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior VP of worldwide operations. “I cannot imagine a better way to celebrate the inaugural flight than in our hometown at Seafair alongside Amazon employees and Seattle residents.”



In the last year, Amazon has launched several initiatives to improve delivery speeds and supply chain capacity for its customers. It recently launched Amazon Flex, a mobile application that allows individuals to sign-up, be vetted and begin delivering for Amazon. The Internet giant also has a network of 4,000 trailers to increase trucking capacity, as well as over 125 fulfilment centers globally and 20 sortation centers where robots can pick parcels.



And most recently, Amazon entered into a partnership with the British government that will allow the retailer to test and develop new drone delivery systems.