Amazon introduces a specific Air freight service for quicker Deliveries in India

Amazon introduces a specific air freight service for quicker deliveries in India

The giant of online shopping, Amazon, has started its freight service in India to hasten deliveries. With a capacity of 20,000 items, the cargo service, Amazon Air, will feature two specific cargo planes. The Amazon Air service now covers three markets: the US, Europe, and India. First introduced in the US in 2016, the specialised freight service was also tested in the UK, Amazon’s second market.

The Amazon Air fleet, which was first introduced in 2016 and now flies to more than 70 locations worldwide, comprises of over 110 freight planes. A Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operated by Bengaluru-based Quickjet Cargo Airlines, would be the first Amazon Air aircraft to fly in India. Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad are the first four cities it will service.

At a crucial juncture, Amazon Air is coming to India. The Amazon Air investment we made would only help our Indian customers have a better delivery experience. According to Akhil Saxena, President of Customer Fulfillment (APAC, MENA & LATAM), Amazon, the launch would benefit over 1.1 million sellers in India and promote the expansion of related industries like transportation and aviation.

Oddly, even though the service is known as Amazon Air, the planes still bear the Prime Air logo. As of 2022, Texas and California in the US are served by Prime Air, which manages drone delivery services.

More adaptability, quicker deliveries

The company claims that because it is now in charge of two dedicated freight aircraft and won’t be entirely dependent on the cargo services of airlines, its reliable cargo service enables it to be more flexible with cargo shipments.

Amazon did not specifically state how much delivery times would be shortened, but it did claim that this would make it more efficient and allow for shorter delivery times. Customers would be able to order things a little later in the evening and still count on receiving them the following day thanks to the Air cargo service, it was stated.

With over five million Amazon Prime customers and India ranking as one of the firm’s largest and fastest-growing international markets, it should not be surprising that Amazon has already invested $6.5 billion in the country. Additionally, the company has recently expanded its offerings there.

According to the study, clients from Indian metro areas also have a tendency to be loyal and to place repeated orders, which helps to explain why the Amazon Air service was initially only available in four metro areas.

For the time being, Amazon Air will only be used for Amazon’s deliveries, as opposed to its logistics service, which is available to other e-commerce businesses.

A boost for Telangana, which attracted investments of 21,000 crores at the World Economic Forum in Davos, is provided by the introduction of Amazon Air in Hyderabad.

The largest campus in the world for Amazon is located in Hyderabad, and Amazon has committed to invest $36,600 crore in the establishment of a data centre for its Amazon Web Services division, making Hyderabad one of the company’s favourite destinations. Telangana is home to five of Amazon’s 50 fulfilment centres, which are spread throughout the nation.

India will be Amazon’s first country outside of the US and Europe to offer air freight services.

While the growth of internet sales globally lags after a burst during the epidemic, Amazon.com Inc. is starting air freight services in India and growing in Asia.

Akhil Saxena, vice president of customer fulfilment for the e-commerce retail giant, stated that shipments would start in Hyderabad, Bangalore, New Delhi, and Mumbai using cargo space on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by partner Quikjet Cargo Airlines Pvt.

The corporation has launched Amazon Air in three markets: the US, Europe, and India. The company, which has its headquarters in Seattle and launched the service in the United States in 2016, has a network of over 110 jets that go to more than 70 locations worldwide.

As it adjusts to a post-pandemic slowdown that has led it to lay off 12,000 employees or approximately 6% of its workforce, Amazon is attempting to sell any space in its cargo jets.

Amazon has collaborated with Quikjet Goods Airline Private Ltd, a Bengaluru-based carrier that would carry cargo using a single Aircraft 737-800 aircraft, according to a release from the company. In a press statement, Amazon announced that Quikjet will deliver packages for its customers to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai.

To compete with FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc., Amazon launched its air freight service in 2016. Amazon Air fulfils orders for one- and two-day delivery out of small regional airports near its facilities.

Amazon-Hyderabad “love tale”

KT Rama Rao, Telangana’s minister of industries and commerce, unveiled Amazon Air. A large portion of Amazon’s Indian investment has gone into Telangana. The largest campus for the corporation is located in Hyderabad, the state capital, and Telangana has received an investment from Amazon totalling Rs. 36,300 crores for three data centres.

Amit Agarwal, the head of Amazon India, was invited to Hyderabad in 2014, according to Rao, who was speaking to the media at the time. The following week, he did arrive, and our meeting was wonderful. I believe that since that time, the romance between Amazon and Hyderabad has only grown stronger. I am proud to be here today, he declared.

Agarwal’s continued role as the leader of Amazon in India was another question KTR had. In March 2022, Agarwal expanded his responsibilities from being the head of India to senior vice-president, of India and Emerging Markets, at Amazon.

The delivery experience for our Indian customers will only get better thanks to our investment in Amazon Air. Additionally, Saxena noted that the launch will benefit over 1.1 million Indian retailers, fostering expansion for related industries like transportation and aviation.

For cargo transported aboard the aircraft, Singh said there will be no additional fees for customers. Over 110 aircraft are part of the company’s fleet worldwide, which debuted with Amazon Air in 2016. 11 are its property, and the others are leased.

edited and proofread by nikita sharma