Eight of 21 Air's 18 Jets Flew for Amazon Before the Retailer Paused

MIAMI — Amazon has paused its operations with 21 Air (2I), the carrier that operated Flight 7598 for Amazon Air when the Boeing 767 freighter overran a runway at Miami International Airport (MIA) on September 6 and killed five people on the ground.

In a statement dated Sunday, September 13, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company had spent time since the accident supporting the investigation and "reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances" before deciding on the pause. In a September 9 update on the same page, Amazon had said it was "continuing to coordinate closely with 21 Air."

21 Air told Reuters it remained focused on supporting the families affected and on working with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and its partners, including Amazon. "We are confident in our safety policies, procedures and training," the carrier said.

Amazon made the decision as 21 Air's customer. The Amazon Air network relies on certificated partner airlines to operate its flights, each under its own authority from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

How Much of 21 Air's Fleet Flew for Amazon

The relationship began in November 2024. FreightWaves reported that 21 Air had started operating the first of seven Boeing 767-300 freighters for Amazon, with a first flight from Miami to Amazon's national hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), according to Flightradar24 data cited by the publication. An Amazon spokeswoman confirmed the carrier's selection to FreightWaves. The publication attributed the aircraft's move from Atlas Air to a source familiar with the operator and to pilots' forum messages.

A Cirium fleet report generated September 7 and detailed in Airways' earlier coverage of the accident listed 18 aircraft in service with 21 Air: 13 Boeing 767s and five Boeing 757s. Eight of the 767s were listed as operated for Amazon Air. Seven aircraft (four 767s and three 757s) were listed for DHL Aviation, and three had no customer identified. Those are database listings, not a count of aircraft available to fly after the accident.

The Loadstar, citing Planespotters fleet data, counted seven Amazon-dedicated 21 Air 767s besides the accident aircraft. It reported that 21 Air's 767s kept flying Amazon services in the days after the accident, on routes linking Miami and Cincinnati with San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU), and destinations in Latin America. Across its whole network, Amazon Air Cargo says its airline partners operate more than 100 aircraft and more than 250 flights a day.

Replacement Flying and DHL

NBC News reported that Amazon has said it will use other carriers for shipments that would have been assigned to 21 Air. The Loadstar reported that Amazon had not disclosed which carriers would take over the flying or whether frequencies would change.

DHL did not immediately respond Monday morning to questions about whether it would keep using 21 Air, the Associated Press reported.

What the NTSB Has Said It Will Examine

NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said at the agency's September 7 briefing, six days before the pause, that investigators focused on operations and human performance would examine 21 Air's policies and procedures and its contractual relationship with Amazon, among other areas. Asked about that relationship, she said investigators wanted to establish which company does what and what safety provisions any contracts or policies contain. She also said the NTSB would look at FAA oversight of all the operators involved.

The agency's most recent update, released September 9, summarized preliminary cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder events; Airways reported the flight data sequence from the September 8 briefing. The NTSB plans to convene a group to produce a written transcript of the voice recording. The investigation remains ongoing, and no probable cause has been determined.

Amazon's statement gives no timeline for the pause or the status of its contract with 21 Air.