Sun Country Airlines is set to grow its CMI operation for Amazon with more 737 freighters.
The e-commerce giant’s next 737-800BCF (29120, ex-Corendon Airlines) arrived in Everett (PAE) Oct. 6 after conversion by Boeing in China, showing “Operated by Sun Country, Inc.” near the cockpit windows. As with Amazon’s 737s currently being flown by the Minneapolis-based airline, unit 29120 will undergo the conformity process at the Aviation Technical Services (ATS) facility at PAE.
Although unit 29120 is not yet associated with a registration consistent with other Amazon aircraft, we note that at least two such registrations were reserved Aug. 25 by Sun Country: N8011A and N8059A.
Neither Amazon nor Sun Country commented on the 737-800BCFs.
Under a deal announced at the Paris Air Show in June 2019, Amazon is committed to leasing fifteen 737-800BCFs from GECAS. These are in addition to five 737-800BCFs previously secured from GECAS and operated by Southern Air.
Of the thirteen already redelivered under the Paris deal, ten are already in operation with Sun Country, appointed by Amazon as a new CMI operator in December 2019. To make up for lost passenger revenue due to the pandemic and to keep its pilots flying, the airline has quickly ramped up its cargo flying; the first aircraft (32348, ex-Pegasus) began flying for Amazon early in May and the tenth (32739, ex-NewGen Airways) entered service Aug. 4.
The next three, as we reported in August, were handed over to Southern Air. Two (32742, ex-NewGen Airways, and 34029, ex-China Xinhua Airlines) began service in September, while the third (32608, ex-China Xinhua Airlines) arrived in Jacksonville (VQQ) late September for conformity.
In March 2019, Southern agreed to provide CMI operations for at least five and up to twenty Amazon 737-800Fs.
Meanwhile, a twentieth 737-800BCF in Amazon livery (33544, ex-Ryanair) was delivered late September but unlike the other nineteen, this one first made its way across the Pacific Ocean to VQQ and then made a trans-Atlantic flight to Shannon (SNN) via Bangor (BGR) and Reykjavik (KEF). Photos show the aircraft with the operator name covered up behind the cockpit windows, but the size and shape of the covered up area match the logo ASL Airlines places on A330s operated on behalf of DHL and Air Hong Kong, for example.
Neither Amazon nor ASL Airlines commented on the aircraft.
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