Amazon Air is rivalling third-party logistics providers as the company increases the number of daily flights for the delivery of its e-commerce stock across the United States.

According to a new report, the retail giant has increased flight activity by 17 per cent in just six months.

The research, from the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan development at DePaul University, found that Amazon has established a network of airports within 100 miles of over 70 per cent of the US population.

This means the airline can ship packages to points that are within a few hours’ drive by truck or delivery van to more than 217 million people.

“There is no sign of Amazon slowing down their gearing up for expanded next-day delivery,” said professor Joseph Schwieterman, lead author of the report, in an interview with the Financial Times.

Amazon has also developed synchronised scheduling at its Cincinnati ‘superhub’ and at Wilmington.

As well as this, the company has an equity stake in air-cargo business ATSG and leverages its fleet for extra flights.

Amazon Air’s expanded route network and more sophisticated scheduling have “greatly enhanced” the company’s capabilities for overnight delivery, said the study.

The fully owned subsidiary made a number of notable moves earlier this year, including establishing a presence in Canada and starting the development of major hubs.

But the report also found that Amazon is increasingly reliant on the flights of partner carriers. Estimates suggest that partner airlines operate around 20 to 30 daily flights to supplement Amazon Air flights in the US domestic market alone.

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