Amazon Air takes off in India

Amazon India has launched Amazon Air, making it the first e-commerce company in the country to have a dedicated air cargo network. Amazon Air will utilise the cargo capacity of two Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Quikjet Cargo Airlines. Each Amazon Air aircraft will ship thousands of packages every day and fly across Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai. Amazon Air will help ship goods faster from our fulfillment centres to last-mile deliveries.

“We’re thrilled to launch Amazon Air in India to ensure we can provide our growing customer base with great selection, low prices, and faster deliveries,” said Sarah Rhoads, Vice President, Amazon Global Air.

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This announcement reaffirms Amazon’s commitment to invest in India’s logistical infrastructure, create more jobs in the local economy, and introduce newer capabilities to power our delivery network.

Team Amazon at the launch

The new aircraft were inducted in Hyderabad on January 23 by Telangana minister Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao—who leads the Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries & Commerce, and Information Technology—alongside Amazon’s senior leadership. "Hyderabad has emerged as a major hub for e-commerce distribution with its strategic geographic location, improved domestic air network, and the increasing popularity of e-commerce in the country," said Akhil Saxena, Vice President – Customer Fulfilment (APAC, MENA & LATAM) and WW Customer Service, Amazon.

“Telangana offers a conducive environment for the development of multi-modal connectivity and I take great pride in the fact that Hyderabad has emerged as a major hub for e-commerce distribution and supply chain activities. We have been working towards strengthening the state’s air cargo infrastructure, and we welcome the launch of Amazon Air, which will further assist in making Hyderabad a cargo hub for the country and will create additional employment opportunities in the state,” said KT Rama Rao.

The launch of Amazon Air will further support 1.1 million sellers in India, enabling growth for ancillary businesses such as transportation and packaging. “This marks a very important step for our sellers and our customers, as well as a huge step forward for the aviation industry. We are celebrating a significant milestone in our global mission to transform the future of logistics,” said Saxena, adding, “Amazon Air comes to India at an important time. Over the last few years, we have taken many positive steps to build our fulfilment, transportation, and logistics infrastructure in the country.”

Today, Amazon India has fulfilment centres across 15 states, providing 43 million cubic feet of storage space for seller inventory. Sortation centres exist across 19 states, with a processing area of nearly 2.3 million square feet. Through its last mile network, deliveries are enabled to 100% serviceable pin codes, with customers over 97% pin codes now receiving their packages within 2 days of placing an order.

India is the third market, after the United States and Europe, for Amazon Air. It was launched in 2016 in the US and operates an air cargo network that has grown to include over 110 aircraft across 70 destinations worldwide. Since then, Amazon has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in air logistics capabilities and generated thousands of new jobs around the world. While continuing to expand globally to meet the needs of its growing customer base, Amazon Air also invests in environmentally-conscious solutions to power its network.