Amazon Air bought 11 Boeing 767 jets to beef up its transportation logistics business.

The cargo airline operating exclusively to transport packages from e-commerce giant Amazon bought seven B767-300 aircraft from Delta Air Lines as well as four similar planes from WestJet. 

The 11 aircraft,  the first owned directly by Amazon, has run its air cargo business through lease deals with ATSG, Atlas Air and Sun Country in North America and Gecas/ASL in Europe.

The four aircraft purchased from WestJet are currently undergoing passenger to cargo conversion and is seen joining the Amazon Air network this year 2021. Meanwhile, the seven aircraft from Delta will enter Amazon fleet by 2022.

"Our goal is to continue delivering for customers across the US in the way that they expect from Amazon, and purchasing our own aircraft is a natural next step toward that goal,” said Sarah Rhoads, vice president at Amazon Global Air.

“Having a mix of both leased and owned aircraft in our growing fleet allows us to better manage our operations, which in turn helps us to keep pace in meeting our customer promises.”

Data provider Cirium said the Seattle-based Amazon Air already has 74 aircraft in service including 22 Boeing 737NGs and 52 767s.

“The cargo carrier founded in 2016 grew its fleet rapidly from 68 aircraft in September. This latest deal with Delta would place Amazon close to its ambition to have a fleet of 80 aircraft by the end of 2021," it added.