US carrier sun Country Airlines is sticking with a previously announced plan to next year take delivery of eight additional Boeing 737-800 freighters to fly on behalf of Amazon Air but has pushed back the expected completion of deliveries.
The deal for eight more 737-800Fs between the two airlines was announced in June, although the expected timeline of completion has shifted slightly from the third quarter of 2025 to the fourth quarter, reports London's Air Cargo News.
During the Minneapolis-based carrier's third-quarter earnings call on October 31, chief executive Jude Bricker said that the first 737F is expected to be delivered in late March, with the eighth due in the fourth quarter of next year, while the airline had initially reported in June that all eight aircraft were expected to be operational by the third quarter of 2025.
'So, it's a rapid ramp-up during the summer months of 2025, and by the end of next year all the aircraft should be operating, and the rate changes should be fully in place,' Bricker said.
The additional airlines were agreed in June as part of Sun Country's amended air transport services agreement with Amazon, under which Sun Country will now operate a total of 20 737-800Fs on behalf of the e-commerce giant.
Meanwhile, the length of the CMI agreement has been extended by five years to 2030 with a series of three options that if exercised would extend the deal through to 2037.
Recently, Amazon Air confirmed that it is now selling cargo capacity on its aircraft to third parties, including ad hoc and charter services.
At this stage, it is not clear if the move is a long-term strategy to compete with the likes of FedEx and UPS or a measure to fill spare capacity that it cannot fill with its own cargo.
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The deal for eight more 737-800Fs between the two airlines was announced in June, although the expected timeline of completion has shifted slightly from the third quarter of 2025 to the fourth quarter, reports London's Air Cargo News.
During the Minneapolis-based carrier's third-quarter earnings call on October 31, chief executive Jude Bricker said that the first 737F is expected to be delivered in late March, with the eighth due in the fourth quarter of next year, while the airline had initially reported in June that all eight aircraft were expected to be operational by the third quarter of 2025.
'So, it's a rapid ramp-up during the summer months of 2025, and by the end of next year all the aircraft should be operating, and the rate changes should be fully in place,' Bricker said.
The additional airlines were agreed in June as part of Sun Country's amended air transport services agreement with Amazon, under which Sun Country will now operate a total of 20 737-800Fs on behalf of the e-commerce giant.
Meanwhile, the length of the CMI agreement has been extended by five years to 2030 with a series of three options that if exercised would extend the deal through to 2037.
Recently, Amazon Air confirmed that it is now selling cargo capacity on its aircraft to third parties, including ad hoc and charter services.
At this stage, it is not clear if the move is a long-term strategy to compete with the likes of FedEx and UPS or a measure to fill spare capacity that it cannot fill with its own cargo.
SeaNews Turkey
