10 Mar Amazon Leases 20 Cargo Planes
Amazon.com is launching its own air cargo fleet to ensure two-day delivery of its growing volume of Prime shipments, an air craft leasing company confirmed Wednesday.
Air Transport Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATSG) announced March 9 it had reached agreements with Amazon Fulfillment Services Inc., an affiliate of Amazon.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMZN), to operate an air cargo network to serve Amazon customers in the United States.
“Since last summer, we have been working closely with Amazon to demonstrate that a dedicated, fully customized air cargo network can be a strong supplement to existing transportation and distribution resources,” said Joe Hete, President and CEO of ATSG. “We are excited to serve Amazon customers by providing additional air cargo capacity and logistics support to ensure great shipping speeds for customers.”
The commercial agreements will include the leasing of 20 Boeing 767 freighter aircraft to Amazon Fulfillment Services, Inc. by ATSG’s Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM), the operation of the aircraft by ATSG’s airlines, ABX Air and Air Transport International, and gateway and logistics services provided by ATSG’s LGSTX Services. The duration of the 20 leases will be five to seven years; the agreement covering operation of the aircraft will be for five years.
“We offer Earth’s largest selection, great prices and ultra-fast delivery promises to a growing group of Prime members and we’re excited to supplement our existing delivery network with a great new provider, ATSG, by adding 20 planes to ensure air cargo capacity to support one and two-day delivery for customers,” said Dave Clark, Amazon senior vice president of worldwide operations and customer service.
In conjunction with the commercial agreements, ATSG also has agreed to grant Amazon warrants to acquire over a five-year period up to 19.9 percent of ATSG’s common shares at $9.73 per share, based on the closing price of ATSG common shares on February 9, 2016.