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Back in March, we learned that Amazon had leased 20 Boeing 767s to booster its air delivery network. Since then, the company has been quietly putting these aircraft into service and now has 10 dedicated airplanes shuttling Amazon packages around the country.
The 10 aircraft currently in service are from Amazon’s original lease agreement with Air Transport Services Group (ATSG), but Amazon further boosted its fleet in May by leasing another 20 Boeing 767s from Atlas Air. With these two agreements in place, Amazon now has a total of 40 leased aircraft, but — as demand grows and kinks are worked out — we can expect this number to continue to grow.
At this weekend’s Boeing Seafair Air Show, Amazon showed off its first aircraft featuring the “Prime Air” livery. Nicknamed “Amazon One,” the Atlas Air-operated aircraft publicly debuted in a rather spectacular fashion: Amazon One entertained the crowd immediately before the Navy’s Blue Angels. For more photos of Amazon One’s debut, check out GeekWire’s article with updates from Seattle.
In a nod to the “Prime” part of Amazon Prime, Amazon re-registered Amazon One with a prime number: N1997A (formerly N648GT). Not only is it a prime number, but 1997 is also special as it was the year that Amazon went public. According to GeekWire’s interview with Amazon representatives, Amazon will continue to re-register all Prime Air aircraft with prime numbers.
In case you’re wondering, award availability on-board Prime Air is currently non-existent. But who knows, Amazon could eventually expand its air network to include delivering passengers along with packages.
Source: thepointsguy.com