Amazon Air is celebrating the arrival of its first Airbus A330 freighter as it becomes the largest aircraft in the online retailer’s fleet.
The first of ten Airbus A330-300P2F aircraft, leased from Altavair, successfully completed its first in-service flight on October 2, 2023, by flying from Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) to San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) where Amazon has regional air hubs located.
The first A330, registered N4621K, is set be operated for Amazon by Hawaiian Airlines and has been converted from passenger aircraft to freighter by Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW), the center of excellence for Airbus Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversions.
Before joining the Amazon Air fleet, the other nine Airbus A330-300 scheduled to arrive will also undergo the same transformation.
In response to the new arrivals, Amazon Air will also begin phasing out some older aircraft, the tenures of which are nearing expiry.
On October 2, 2023, Amazon Air released a video of the new aircraft and staff and showed a few sneak peaks inside the jet.
“Just under a year ago, Amazon announced it was adding 10 Airbus A330s to its global aircraft fleet. These A330s aren’t just the first of their kind in our fleet. They’ll also be the newest, largest aircraft for Amazon Air, allowing us to transport more customer packages with each flight,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
When the deal between Amazon and Altavair was announced back in October 2022, Philippe Karam, director of Amazon Global Air Fleet & Sourcing, said he was “thrilled” to welcome Airbus to the fleet.
Taking off in a city near you. 🛫 Introducing #AmazonAir’s new A330!!
— Amazon (@amazon) October 2, 2023
It's the first of its kind in our fleet and will help us deliver more packages with less flights, which means customers get their orders that much faster. 🙌 📦 Woot woot! pic.twitter.com/ePFLsrxzJx
Christian Scherer, Airbus CCO and Head of Airbus International remarked that the “endorsement of our freighters by Amazon speaks volumes about the market value of the A330”.
Amazon’s first plane, ‘Amazon One’, took to the skies in 2016 and the online retailer now has over 110 planes in its fleet.