Airlines

Amazon hires Hawaiian Air to fly rented Airbus cargo jets to replace older freighters

Hawaiian Airlines is the most recent passenger airline to fly for Amazon

Hawaiian Airlines is the most recent passenger airline to fly for Amazon, and it has been contracted to fly the first Airbus freight planes in the e-commerce giant’s air network, which will help replace older jets. According to a filing by the airline, Hawaiian will begin operating at least 10 Airbus A330-300 freighters for Amazon in the fall of 2023. Following the announcement, Hawaiian share prices increased by as much as 13% in early trading.

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In recent years, Amazon has grown its specialized air unit, whose operations are outsourced to a number of airlines, notably Atlas Worldwide Holdings and ATSG, which fly Boeing 767s for the firm, the aircraft with which Amazon started the air arm. The representative indicated that Amazon is currently determining which of the older jets would be phased out.

When travel demand fell early in the Covid pandemic in 2020, Sun Country, a leisure-focused airline, started flying converted Boeing 737 freighters for Amazon. During the pandemic, when consumer travel fell and port congestion drove up prices, air cargo was a hot area of aviation, but the industry has since cooled. Because of an increase in travel, more passenger belly plane capacity has entered the market, port congestion has decreased, and customer behavior has changed, lowering the cost of air cargo.

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As part of the deal, Hawaiian will issue warrants to Amazon that are exercisable over the course of the following nine years and allow Amazon to purchase up to 15% of Hawaiian shares. With other air cargo companies ATSG and Atlas, Amazon has similar agreements.

Amazon Air has signed a firm agreement to lease ten A330-300P2F freighters from Altavair, taking advantage of the A330’s capacity and economics to help fulfill its one-day delivery promise to Amazon Prime customers. The aircraft will be operated for Amazon by Hawaiian Airlines, which has had A330s as a key element of its fleet since 2010. The ten airframes are being converted from passenger aircraft to freighters by Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW), the center of excellence for Airbus Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversions.

Hawaiian announced that in order to support its Amazon flights, it will establish a pilot base in the United States’ interior and hire extra pilots, mechanics, and dispatchers.

While both A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft are eligible for conversion, the longer-fuselage A330-300P2F is particularly suited for integrators and express carriers, due to its high volumetric payload capability with lower-density cargo.

The A330P2F conversion program, launched in 2012, is a collaboration between ST Aerospace, Airbus, and their joint venture EFW.

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Related Topics:airbus amazon Cargo Hawaiian Air

Airlines

Air India to Roll Out New Guidelines for Cabin Crew

Air India has announced a revised policy for its cabin crew members operating on domestic and international flights. Under this new policy, certain sections of cabin crew will be required to share rooms during layovers, a move that has drawn attention within the airline.

This updated policy will also apply to Air India Express, following the merger of AIX Connect with Air India. Among the key changes, the allowances for cabin crew on international flights will see an increase, shifting from the USD 75-125 bracket to USD 85-135.

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However, there will be no changes to the allowances for domestic flight cabin crew, who will continue to receive Rs 1,000 per night. Additionally, they will now be eligible for a support allowance of Rs 1,000 per night. does air india have wifi on international flights.

A spokesperson for air india refurbishment emphasized that the revised compensation and benefits remain competitive and aligned with industry standards. They noted that in-flight managers and executives typically have a minimum of 8-9 years of experience.

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While room sharing is already a practice at Air India Express and Vistara, this marks the first implementation of such a policy at Air India itself. The airline aims to balance operational efficiency with crew welfare as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance its operational framework.