Amazon Air expands capacity & simplifies network

Amazon Air expanded its air cargo capacity last year through the addition of larger aircraft but also simplified its network and conducted fewer flights. The latest study from The Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development shows that in the five weeks running to March 12, Amazon Air increased its tonnage capacity by 4.9% compared with the same period last year, while total daily flights fell by 1.8% compared with the same period last year.
This comes as the airline moved to larger aircraft and consolidated operations at fewer hubs. Since March last year, the carrier has added three Boeing 767-300s, all operated by Air Transportation. International, and its first Airbus A330-300, operated by Hawaiian. In the process, the percentage of the fleet comprised of 737 or smaller planes has fallen from 38% to 33% over the past year. The carrier also stopped using ATR-72 turboprops over the last year and reduced the number of airports it flew to. Overall, Amazon Air’s US fleet increased by one aircraft to 78.