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Amazon Air begins daily express delivery to Wichita, Kansas

Company’s airport footprint continues to grow rapidly

An ATR72-500 cargo plane operated for Amazon by Silver Airways. (Photo: Amazon.com)

Amazon Air has expanded its network into Kansas for the first time with the opening of a regional gateway facility at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport, as it continues a relentless push to bring air access to more of the country to support expedited delivery for Prime customers.

The electronic retail and logistics giant’s private airline launched daily cargo service between Wichita and its regional hub at Fort Worth Alliance Airport in Texas on Thursday. The flights are operated by Silver Airways using an ATR72-500 turboprop aircraft.

Silver Airways, a privately held regional airline based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that operates passenger service in the Southeast, Bahamas and the Caribbean with small propeller aircraft and seaplanes, is Amazon’s latest outsourced transportation partner. It began flying under contract with Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) in November, serving Des Moines, Iowa, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, from Alliance. Other companies that fly under the Amazon Air umbrella are Atlas Air (NASDAQ: AAWW), Air Transport Services Group’s (NASDAQ: ATSG) ABX Air and Air Transport International, Sun Country (NASDAQ: SNCY), and ASL Airlines in Europe.

The Wichita Airport Authority said in a news release that it leased 10,691 square feet in its cargo terminal to Trego-Dugan Aviation, Amazon’s subcontractor in charge of sorting and loading packages for their next destination. PrimeFlight Aviation will also lease 1,470 square feet to provide de-icing services.


The location has easy access to Interstate 235 and a highway. 

Amazon operates two facilities in the Wichita area: a 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Park City and a 140,000-square-foot delivery station in the northeast part of the city.

In the past year, Amazon Air has added at least 10 destinations to its route structure and 24 aircraft. It serves more than 45 domestic airports that are within 100 miles of more than 70% of the U.S. population. In August, Amazon Air opened its $1.5 billion primary package hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.


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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He won Environmental Journalist of the Year from the Seahorse Freight Association in 2014 and was the group's 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist by the Seahorse Freight Association. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com