By BriYYZ from Toronto, Canada – 21 Air Boeing 767-241ER(BSF) N999YV, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46705608
Amazon is reshuffling its air cargo network after suspending operations with 21 Air, removing seven 767 freighters from its contracted fleet just weeks before the traditional fourth-quarter peak.
The ecommerce giant announced the move yesterday, a week after a 21 Air-operated Amazon Air 767 overran the runway at Miami International Airport, killing five people on the ground.
Significantly, Amazon did not simply say it was suspending the carrier while it awaited the outcome of the investigation.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said: “Safety has always been our top priority, whether in our own operations or when we’re working with partners.
“After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598. We’ll continue working to support the investigation and everyone affected.”
Amazon has not explained what it meant by “surrounding circumstances”, but the wording comes as the scope of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation extends beyond the mechanics of the accident itself.
NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy has said investigators will examine 21 Air’s procedures and its relationship with Amazon, including the safety provisions contained in contracts or policies between the two companies.
Investigators are also examining the crew, training and experience, FAA oversight, aircraft systems and the operation of the flight.
Meanwhile, preliminary evidence recovered from the aircraft’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders has raised significant questions over the approach and attempted landing, although the NTSB has stressed that the information remains preliminary and has made no determination of probable cause.
Investigators have not determined why the speed brakes and thrust reversers were not deployed, despite the aircraft travelling at 65kt when the flight recorder stopped, or why the attempted go-around was abandoned, or whether mechanical, crew or other factors contributed to the accident.
Amazon’s decision leaves it needing to replace flying previously undertaken by the seven surviving 21 Air 767s. The eighth aircraft dedicated to Amazon was destroyed in the Miami accident.
Planespotters fleet data identifies the seven surviving aircraft as N1181A, N1373A, N1381A, N1399A, N1409A, N1487A and N661AZ. Five are currently listed as parked, at Miami, Cincinnati and Wilmington.
The aircraft had not been sitting idle since the accident. 21 Air continued operating Amazon services in the days following the crash, with its 767s flying routes linking Miami and Amazon’s Cincinnati hub with San Juan and destinations in Latin America.
The loss of seven 767s is nevertheless unlikely to leave Amazon facing an outright shortage of aircraft.
Its extensive contracted air network includes a large number of 767 freighters operated by Air Transport International and ABX Air, alongside A330 freighters operated by Hawaiian Airlines and 737 freighters flown by Sun Country and other operators.
Amazon’s fleet data shows particularly substantial alternative 767 capacity at ATI, while ABX has also recently added several comparatively young 767-300Fs to the Amazon operation.
Amazon also has 10 active A330-300 freighters operated by Hawaiian, with further aircraft listed as due.
The challenge is therefore likely to be less about finding seven aircraft than putting suitable widebody capacity onto the routes and schedules previously covered by 21 Air at short notice.
The immediate exposure appears concentrated around Miami, Cincinnati and San Juan, as well as Amazon-linked services into Latin America.
Amazon has not disclosed which of its other contracted carriers will pick up the 21 Air flying or whether the reshuffle will result in any reduction in frequencies.
The suspension also comes amid separate scrutiny of 21 Air’s safety culture, with CBS News showing that safety concerns had previously been raised by former 21 Air employees. Лодстар has previously established that the carrier was still awaiting an FAA decision at the end of July on an application concerning how 757 and 767 pilot operating-experience requirements could be combined.
There is no evidence that the requested exemption applied to the pilots of Flight 7598 or had any connection with the accident.
The NTSB investigation remains ongoing. Its latest formal investigative update was issued on 9 September; as of today, it has not determined a probable cause.
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