Is Amazon Launching Its Own Air-delivery Cargo Service?

We’ve gotten our money’s worth out of our Amazon Prime account this holiday season, and each delivery impressively has arrived on time. But Amazon isn’t taking any chances.

The Seattle Times reports the online retail goliath wants to build its own air-delivery cargo service to avoid potential delays from third-party carriers, like UPS and FedEx, and is in negotiations to lease 20 Boeing 767 jets to further that goal.

Amazon currently is believed to have a trial run operating out of a Wilmington, Ohio, airport, according to Motherboard. DHL once used the two-runway airport, Wilmington Air Park, as its U.S. hub, before discontinuing that location in 2008.

The operation sends flights to and from four other airports—in Allentown, Pa.; Ontario, Calif.; Tampa, Fla.; and Oakland, Calif. Amazon distribution centers are roughly 20 miles from the Allentown and Ontario airports, and 60 miles from the Tampa and Oakland airports.

Amazon neither confirmed nor denied its involvement with the trial run.

“We’ve long utilized air capacity through a variety of great partners to transport packages, and we expect that to continue,” the company told Motherboard in a statement.

An additional 20 Boeing 787 jets would greatly expand the company’s resources, potentially allowing it to launch a larger operation as soon as January, unnamed sources speculated.

Should the operation prove successful and Amazon launch an air-delivery cargo system of its own, the shipping industry would see a considerable shift. There is buzz around the idea that Amazon could even end up delivering for other companies, as well, which would position it as a direct competitor for the third-party carriers it now utilizes.