- 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.”
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