August 13, 2021

Amazon has begun operations at its 800,000-square-foot air hub, worth $1.5 billion, as it appears to speed up the pace of parcel processing and deliveries in the U.S.

The facility, located at Cincinnati International Airport in Northern Kentucky, is part of Amazon’s plan to expand its air capacity, as the retail giant bought 11 planes to bring the company’s number of planes to more than 70 in order to strengthen its transportation and logistics network.

Once the hub is fully operational, Amazon plans to process “millions of packages every week,” suggesting that the retail giant is considering the possibility of delivering not only its own packages, but those of other companies as well, some analysts predicted.

While Amazon said in its press release that the air hub would help ensure the “rapid transport of customer packages throughout the U.S.,” many argued that the $1.5 billion construction of the logistics hub is a clear sign that the retail giant is planning to become a transportation company.

For more information, read the original story in The Verge.