Following a tragic and fatal plane crash in Miami, which saw an Amazon-branded plane overshoot a runway and hit a vehicle, Amazon has paused its relationship with 21 Air, which was the carrier operating that plane.
The decision to suspend the partnership came as Amazon is supporting the investigation into the crash and reviewing the circumstances surrounding it. While the pause likely won’t lead to any major shipping delays, it may still impact sellers and teach them a lesson about protecting their brands, properly evaluating partners, and having a resilient supply chain.
Amazon Pauses Relationship with 21 Air After Crash
Following a highly publicized and fatal crash involving a cargo plane that ran off the end of a runway in Miami, Amazon has suspended its partnership with 21 Air, the cargo carrier that was operating that aircraft. There’s no specified end date for the suspension, and it’s possible the suspension could be paused indefinitely.
Speaking about this decision, an Amazon spokesperson said that “After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air,”.
The investigation is being led by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the board has received the flight recorders to learn more about what happened before the crash. According to the released details, a pilot onboard the plane noted that it was travelling too fast before it overshot the runway.
The board will also examine things like the actions of pilots and air traffic controllers, the weather at the time of the crash, the airline’s practices, and the maintenance history of the plane.
21 Air Has a Multi-Year History With Amazon
21 Air, which is an all-cargo carrier based in North Carolina, has been flying packages for Amazon since 2024, and also has a relationship with DHL. The carrier has 18 planes in its fleet, and at least six of those planes are leased from Amazon affiliates, with another three or more from DHL.
In a statement, 21 Air said that “We remain focused on supporting the families and loved ones who were impacted by this accident, as well as working closely with the NTSB and all our partners, like Amazon, as the investigation continues.” The company also added that it’s confident in its safety policies, procedures, and training.
DHL has declined to say whether or not it’ll continue to work with 21 Air, because of the nature of the matter and the ongoing investigation.
The Suspension’s Impact on Sellers
Because Amazon is the world’s largest ecommerce platform and operates a massive air and ground logistics network, the partnership being suspended shouldn’t lead to any major and widespread shipping delays.
However, that doesn’t mean sellers and ecommerce brands won’t be impacted by it. For example, there’s a good chance Amazon will put its remaining cargo carrier partners through safety reviews and scrutinize their operations more closely going forward. The last thing the company wants is something like this happening again.
Often, things like stricter compliance protocols and regulations increase operational overhead for carriers, and many may decide to pass on these additional costs to sellers in the form of seasonal surcharges or higher fulfillment fees.
Our Take
The Importance of Rigorously Vetting Partners and Supply Chain Redundancy
This whole situation has underscored the importance for sellers, brands, and companies to vet their partners well. Brands often bear the responsibility of who they partner with, so make sure to test your operators and ensure you fully trust the people you partner with.
If not, you can be associated with, and potentially even blamed for, something you aren’t directly responsible for. For example, even though Amazon itself had nothing to do with flying or operating the plane that crashed, the company’s branding across the side of a smoking aircraft means that public perception will link what happened to the company.
This event also shows the importance of supply chain redundancy and being able to quickly adapt when unexpected things occur, in an effort to minimize downtime and avoid single points of failure. If Amazon wasn’t prepared with alternative suppliers and backup resources in place, pausing this relationship could’ve had a much larger negative impact on its operations.
