Amazon Air will fly to Anchorage airport effective June 27

June 25, 2019: Amazon Air will begin flights to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) from June 27. The development has fanned speculation that it could act as a pre-cursor for the launch Amazon Air flights to Asia.

While the company has issued no statement about the development, the airport announced last week that the carrier will start services to the Alaskan hub utilising its Boeing 767 freighters.

At the Paris Air Show last week, Amazon announced it would lease an additional 15 Boeing 737-800 Converted Freighters from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).

In Alaska, Amazon Air will operate out of the airport’s Kulis Business Park, south of the east-west runways.

“Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is perfectly situated to support the movement of e-commerce goods between Asia and North America, and this new business fits with our strategy of maximizing ANC’s potential for development,” said Jim Szczesniak, airport manager.

Express firms often use ANC as a strategic hub to process goods headed to the US from China. Flights from ANC could give Amazon an opportunity to get hold of US packages coming from Asia.

Earlier this month, ANC announced that it is investing $85 million during the summer of 2019 to support future growth. Projects scheduled for construction include the north-south runway project and a new airline gate. It also said FedEx Express would upgrade existing gates to accommodate growth in their Boeing 777F operations at ANC.

FedEx recently announced that it would not renew its US air contract with Amazon. FedEx delivered 3 percent of Amazon packages last year, according to Wolfe Research. The move is likely to affect Amazon's ambitious one-day delivery promise.