Amazon to launch own airline to shuttle goods

London - Amazon is planning to start its own airline to shuttle goods between its fast-expanding network of warehouses.

The online retail giant has held talks with a number of leasing companies, with a view to building a fleet of 25 aircraft.

The aim would be to reduce Amazon’s reliance on traditional air freight carriers. The company is already taking greater control over the shipping and packing of goods, and is using its own trucks, drivers and couriers to deliver to customers’ doors.

The launch of this service would give Amazon at least some control over its own package delivery, thereby avoiding catastrophic delays. One anonymous analyst suggests Amazon could deliver goods for other companies, too, which would ultimately allow it to directly compete with both UPS and FedEx.