Amazon launches air cargo service in India, leases 2 aircraft from Quikjet

E-commerce giant Amazon on January 23 launched Amazon Air, its dedicated air cargo fleet, in India, its fourth market outside the US, Canada and Europe to get the facility to speed up deliveries.

The company has leased aircraft from Bengaluru-based Quikjet Cargo Airlines and the two Boeing 737-800s would be operated by the cargo airline.

“Our investment in Amazon Air will only further improve the delivery experience for our customers in India. Moreover, the launch will support over 1.1 million sellers in India, enabling growth for ancillary businesses such as transportation and aviation,” said Akhil Saxena, Amazon’s Vice President for Customer Fulfilment for the APAC, MENA and LATAM regions.

One cargo aircraft would hold up to 20,000 shipments, he said. The two planes would be used by Quikjet to transport shipments to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai.

Amazon said it was the first e-commerce company in India to launch a dedicated air cargo network, which would shorten the delivery time.

According to Abhinav Singh, Director of Customer Fulfilment, Supply Chain and Amazon Transportation Services at Amazon India, the planes would fly on two routes and won’t have a set frequency and would instead depend on order volumes.

During high-order volume periods such as Diwali, Singh said they could make multiple trips if required. Even during the busy festival season, customers would be able to buy more goods at a later stage, he added.

Amazon-Hyderabad ‘love story’

Telangana’s industries and commerce minister KT Rama Rao unveiled Amazon Air. Telangana has seen a significant amount of Amazon investment in India. The state capital Hyderabad is home to the company’s largest campus and Telangana has Rs 36,300 crore of Amazon investment for three data centres.

Addressing the media, Rao said in 2014, he had run into Amazon India’s head Amit Agarwal during a flight and invited him to Hyderabad. “He did come the next week and we had a fantastic meeting. Since then, I would say the love story of Amazon with Hyderabad, actually went from strength to strength. Today, I'm standing here, very proud,” he said.

KTR also inquired if Agarwal was still the head of Amazon in India. Agarwal in March 2022 was made the senior vice-president, India and Emerging Markets, at Amazon, an expansion from his role as the India head.

“Our investment in Amazon Air will only further improve the delivery experience for our customers in India. Moreover, the launch will support over 1.1 million sellers in India, enabling growth for ancillary businesses such as transportation and aviation,” said Saxena.

Singh said consumers would not be charged any extra for shipments flown on the aircraft.

The company, which launched Amazon Air in 2016, has over 110 aircraft in its fleet globally. It owns 11 and leases the rest.