Introducing Amazon One – Bookseller transforms into an Airline

The largest and most popular global online retailer revealed its first branded cargo plane, Amazon One, at Seattle’s SeaFair Air Show today, emblazoned with “Amazon” on its belly, “Prime Air” on its sides and the Amazon smile logo on its tail. The freighter jet is among a fleet of 40 leased from Atlas and Air Transport Services Group to improve a supply chain straining to keep pace with the retailer’s growing sales and swelling ranks of Prime members. (Sign up here for a 30-day free trial)

There are currently 11 dedicated airplanes flying for Amazon as of today 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.

In the last year, Amazon has launched several initiatives to ensure great delivery speeds and supply chain capacity for its customers, including Amazon Flex, the company’s mobile application that allows individuals to sign-up, be vetted and begin delivering for Amazon, a dedicated network of 4,000 trailers to increase trucking capacity and, now, the network of air cargo planes. These efforts join Amazon’s robust worldwide network of more than 125 fulfillment centers and over 20 sortation centers where the company uses high-end algorithms, robotics, machine learning and other technological innovations to increase delivery speeds for customers. Amazon is now bringing the same technological expertise to efforts in the transportation space to increase shipping capacity for its customers.