• Sun Country will start cargo service with a big first customer: Amazon
  • Minnesota airline will add 10 planes, 70 pilots under 6-year cargo service deal.

Amazon is hiring Sun Country Airlines to fly packages around the country, a windfall deal that thrusts the Minnesota carrier into the cargo business.

The six-year deal, announced Tuesday, will immediately create a massive expansion for Sun Country. From the first flights next spring, the new cargo service for Amazon Air will quickly grow to represent 20% of all of Sun Country’s flying.

It is the first time Amazon has hired a commercial passenger airline for air service.

Sun Country will add 10 airplanes to its fleet and hire an additional 70 pilots to its existing force of 350. The Twin Cities-based airline will also hire more maintenance workers and 20 to 30 headquarters staffers to support Amazon Air operations.

“These are pretty highly compensated positions. … We are very excited about this,” Jude Bricker, Sun Country’s chief executive, said Tuesday. “This is going to be a great growth opportunity for our company, and the important thing for the Twin Cities is it will make us a better airline for Minnesota leisure travelers.”

Click the link for the full story! http://www.startribune.com/sun-country-will-start-cargo-service-with-a-big-first-customer-amazon/566286912/

Amazon is hiring Sun Country to fly shipments under its Amazon Air business. The six-year deal puts Sun Country into the scheduled cargo business for the first time. It will hire 70 pilots to fly the routes.