DALLAS — Minnesota-based leisure carrier Sun Country Airlines (SY) made a significant stride on Thursday, announcing a contract extension that paves the way for the operation of up to eight Boeing 737-800 freighter aircraft for Amazon Prime Air (MZN).

Under the terms of the contract extension, the airline will operate the eight Boeing 737-800 freighter aircraft for MZN and provide maintenance, crew, and insurance for the cargo airline. 

This comprehensive arrangement is set to continue until 2030, with the operation of the eight aircraft commencing in Q1 2025. These eight aircraft are directly managed by Amazon but on lease from Aercap. 

From 12 to 20 Freighters

According to a report by Freight Waves, the eight freighters being transferred to SY resulted in Amazon terminating its partnership with Atlas Air (5Y) in May. This move also saw Amazon transfer 16 Boeing 767-300Fs to ABX Air.

Since 2020, SY has flown 12 Boeing 737-800Fs for MNZ. The announced extension will increase SY's operation "from 12 to up to 20 freighters with the first additional aircraft expected to begin service in the first quarter of 2025." By Q3 2025, eight new aircraft will have entered the SY fleet and become fully operational. 

Sun Country’s CEO Jude Bricker said, “Amazon is an extremely important customer to Sun Country and strong execution on our current cargo services positioned us well to grow our business. We look forward to continuing to provide services to Amazon into the 2030s.”

As per the Freight Waves report, SY’s cargo revenue in 2023 increased by 10.4% over a year, reaching over US$100 Million as it surpassed FedEx (FX) and UPS (5X) in annual deliveries.

The featured image shows an Amazon Prime Air Boeing 737-800(BCF), N545RL, operated by SY.